What are the most expensive NFTs in the world sold so far? Here is the updated list of the most valuable NFT works.
NFTs, an acronym for non-fungible tokens, are digital assets sold as if they were collectibles or works of art of a certain value due to their uniqueness. From GIFs to audio files, memes, videos or a 3D painting, there are many things that can be sold as NFTs.
This term can also refer to the digital token, or token, registered on blockchain that corresponds to the object sold and certifies its ownership and authenticity. Having existed since 2017, over the last few years NFTs have managed to capture the interest of a growing number of people. non-fungible tokens are thus proving to be one of the most profitable blockchain-based experiments in history.
In 2021, NFTs recorded the peak of interest at an international level. Despite a slight slowdown in the market in 2023, NFTs have continued to generate significant trading volumes, with sales exceeding one million dollars. During 2024, the NFT market has seen a clear recovery, so much so that a growth rate of 9.10% per year is estimated.
It is indeed a sector in which a lot of money circulates and which could become a gold mine for many people. This, obviously, does not happen quickly and easily, also because the cryptography behind NFTs is decidedly complicated.
Precisely for this reason, the editorial staff of Money.it has decided to create guides that explain in detail what NFTs are, how to buy them and how to create a non-fungible token. Below, instead, we will focus on the most expensive NFTs in the world sold so far. Here is the updated list of the most famous and valuable NFTs.
1. The Merge, Pak - $91.8 million
In December 2021, the NFT market experienced a major shake-up due to the record sale of "The Merge". This is a virtual work of art created by the esteemed digital artist Pak, sold for a whopping 91.8 million dollars, thus earning the title of the most expensive NFT in the world. The Merge NFT was not sold to a single buyer, but to 28,984 people who purchased 266,445 units of this piece.
The success of this NFT is based on the design of The Merge, which stands out from other non-fungible tokens due to its unique and dynamic mechanism. Compared to other digital works of art, in fact, The Merge is characterized by a process thanks to which the individual NFT units are able to merge with each other to form a new NFT of greater mass. In this way, each NFT in the collection is in continuous evolution.
2. Everydays, 5,000 days by Beeple - $69 million
"Everydays: the First 5,000 Days" is a digital artwork created by the American crypto artist Mike Winkelmann, stage name Beeple. It is essentially a collage of 5,000 individual digital works created by Winkelmann in the period between 2007 and 2021.
This work was sold for the stratospheric figure of $69.3 million in a Christie’s auction, thus winning the title of one of the most expensive non-fungible tokens. This work is a clear example of how using blockchain technology can transform an author’s digital work into something truly unique.
3. Series of 9 CryptoPunks - $16.9 million
The Cryptopunks are considered the first NFTs on Ethereum. They are basically a series of 10,000 24x24 pixel art images that were uniquely generated by an algorithm. Each CryptoPunk, in fact, represents a different character. The creators, Matt Hall and John Watkinson, took inspiration from cyberpunk culture and 1970s London punk, emphasizing that they not only transposed their aesthetics, but also their nonconformist attitude.
Among the 10,000 images created, Christie’s and Larva Labs chose a series of nine CryptoPunks, considered "the rarest possible", among the first thousand of the series. A choice that, it seems, was more than spot on since Christie’s broke a record auction, selling a series of 9 rare CryptoPunks from the Larva Labs collection for a whopping 16.9 million dollars. Considered among the best-selling NFTs, the series includes five “female punks”, three “male punks” and one “alien punk.
4. CryptoPunk #7804 - $16.4 million
The Cryptopunk #7804 is one of only nine alien CryptoPunks available and for this reason it turns out to be a highly sought-after digital work by cryptocurrency and NFT enthusiasts. It is, in practice, a teal man with a hat and sunglasses smoking a pipe.
It was sold in March 2021 for $7.57 million by Figma CEO Dylan Field, a crypto art collector, to a Twitter user. It recently surprised everyone by selling for a higher price. In fact, on March 20, 2024, CryptoPunks #7804 was purchased for a whopping 4,850 ETH, or about 16.4 million dollars at the time of purchase.
5. Hashmasks - $16 million
Hashmasks are virtual works of art created by a team of 70 artists from around the world and managed by Suum Cuique Labs. The works, representing colorful, bizarre and extravagant masks, are inspired by the graffiti of the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in New York in the 1980s. It all started when crypto-trader Crypto Cobain decided to invest a whopping 200 thousand dollars in Hashmasks.
A decision that he made public via Twitter (now X), managing to achieve considerable success in a short time. Suffice it to say that in just one weekend thousands of users purchased the 16,384 existing Hashmasks for a value of 16 million dollars.
6. CryptoPunk #7523 - $11.7 million
Among the 10 thousand CryptoPunks created by Larva Labs, one cannot fail to mention number 7523, which belongs to the "alien" category, that is, with blue skin, considered the rarest of all. What distinguishes this work of art is the fact that it is the only character available to wear a surgical mask.
Precisely because of this peculiarity, it quickly became the most valuable and coveted piece of the entire collection. Suffice it to say that in June 2021 it was sold at auction by the British Sotheby’s for a whopping 11.7 million dollars.
7. Crossroads by Beeple - $6.6 million
Another work by Beeple turns out to be among the most valuable NFTs. It is Crossroads, a ten-second clip that was sold for 6.6 million dollars.
But what is it about? Well, this work shows a depiction of Giant Donald Trump lying naked on the ground and covered in writing on his body after losing the 2020 presidential elections.
8. Grimes’ War Nymph - $6 million
Canadian artist and musician Grimes, Elon Musk’s ex-girlfriend, has sold her blockchain-certified digital works for about $6 million. It’s called “War Nymph,” a collection of ten pieces, some unique, others with thousands of copies, put up for sale on Nifty Gateway.
The best-selling was a one-of-a-kind video titled Death of the Old and inspired by a song by Grimes. A portion of the proceeds were donated to an NGO working to fight emissions and climate change.
9. NFT First Tweet in History - $2.9 Million
The first tweet in history, published by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, in its unique version certified through NFTs, was auctioned for charity on Valuables in March 2021. This NFT was sold for a whopping $2.9 million.
Dorsey pledged to convert 100% of the proceeds into Bitcoin before donating them to GivenDirectly to support the Africa Response project, a non-profit organization aimed at helping those most in need, especially in Third World countries.
10. CryptoPunk #6965 - $1.54 million
Among the most expensive NFTs in the world sold so far is the CryptoPunk number #6965. In this case, the character sports a funky cap and is the second rarest type after the alien.
As already mentioned, it is a collection of 10 thousand images in 24×24 pixel format, each of which represents a different character. This work, in particular, was sold for a whopping 1.54 million dollars.
Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Gli NFT più costosi del mondo venduti fino ad oggi, la classifica
