The NFT market may have seen a steep decline since its peak, but at its peak, there was a lot of money to be made with non-fungible tokens. Here are the most expensive NFTs of all time.
- 15. The city’s absolute record – $6.2 million
- 14. Crossroad – $6.6 million
- 13. CryptoPunk #8857 – $6.63 million
- 12. Right click and Save As – $7 million
- 11. CryptoPunk #3100 – $7.51 million
- 10. CryptoPunk #7804 – $7.56 million
- 9. CryptoPunk #5577 – $7.7 million
- 8. CryptoPunk #4156 – $10.35 million
- 7. TPunk #3442 – $10.5 million
- 6. CryptoPunk #7523 – $11.75 million
- 5. CryptoPunk #5822 – $23.7 million
- 4. Beeple’s Human One – $28.985 million
- 3. Clock – $52.7 million
- 2. Everydays: The First 5000 Days – $69.3 million
- 1. “The Merge” from Pakistan – $91.8 million
After exploding in popularity in 2021 and 2022, the concept of art-focused NFTs has hit a serious downturn in 2023. Major NFT sales in recent years are now worth a few dollars, rather than millions.
We’ve also seen multiple scams surrounding NFT and cryptocurrency projects, with influencers like Logan Paul coming under scrutiny after a Coffeezilla documentary.
However, we’ve seen collections like the Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks become some of the most expensive artwork money can buy, with artists like Beeple and Pak selling their pieces for tens of millions of dollars.
But what are the most expensive NFTs of all time? Let’s take a look.
15. The city’s absolute record – $6.2 million
The first, but certainly not the last, work by London-based artist XCOPY to make it onto this list. XCOPY’s “All Time High in the City” sold in January 2022 for 1,630 ETH, which translates to a whopping $6.2 million.
This NFT was actually created in 2018, years before it sold for a whopping $6 million. However, at the time, it was only worth 1,000 ETC according to Crypto-timearound $3 million. In a short time, the value of the NFT has doubled.
14. Crossroad – $6.6 million
Beeple
A first Beeple NFT for the list, but certainly not the last. This NFT was sold for $0.66 million on Nifty Gateway, an online cryptocurrency marketplace, in February 2021.
At the time, this work was created in response to the 2020 presidential election. That’s why it features a depiction of Trump, lying on the grass, covered in graffiti. At the time, two videos for this work were created, one about the election results.
13. CryptoPunk #8857 – $6.63 million
Larva Laboratories
CryptoPunk “Zombi” NFT #8857 sold for $6.63 million on September 11, 2021.
At the time, this made it the fourth most expensive Punk NFT sold. The NFT was considered unique due to the total number of 88 Zombie Punks. Its wild hair and 3D glasses added an extra layer of rarity, as the wild hair and 3D glasses are only available on 447 and 286 punks respectively.
12. Right click and Save As – $7 million
The “Right-click and Save As Guy” NFT was originally created as a meme by artist XCOPY. According to the Crypto-timeThe London-based artist created the NFT to poke fun at those who “didn’t believe in the value of internet art” like crypto art.
Despite its meme origins, this NFT still managed to sell for over $7 million on December 9, 2021 to the one and only Snoop Dogg, under the handle “Cozmo de’ Medici.”
11. CryptoPunk #3100 – $7.51 million
Larva Laboratories
On March 11, 2021, just one day after number 7804 went on sale, number 3100 became even more expensive than its siblings.
Another alien punk, but this time wearing just a headband, #3100 is the seventh rarest CryptoPunk on the market.
10. CryptoPunk #7804 – $7.56 million
Larva Laboratories
This NFT, featuring another alien punk but in a beret, sunglasses and smoking a pipe, was sold by Figma CEO Dylan Field for a staggering $7.65 million in Ethereum in March 2021.
Field sold the CryptoPunk to an anonymous investor, sharing with Forbes that he was motivated to sell “by the desire to spread the gospel of crypto art.”
At the time, this set a record for CryptoPunks NFTs and sold just hours before Beeple set his own NFT record with one of the most famous pieces. (A piece that will be featured further down the list.)
9. CryptoPunk #5577 – $7.7 million
Larva LabsCryptoPun #5577 is another monkey variant
Another CryptoPunk Ape, this one sold in February 2022 for a whopping 2,501 ETH, equivalent to $7.7 million at the time.
8. CryptoPunk #4156 – $10.35 million
LarvaLabs
In a list largely dominated by the ever-popular CryptoPunks, #4156 ranks third among the most expensive Punks of all time. It was purchased on December 9, 2021, just 10 months after selling for $1.25 million. That’s a pretty solid return on investment!
7. TPunk #3442 – $10.5 million
TPunkThe Joker TPunk is truly extraordinary.
The “Joker” TPunk, which is a collection similar to CryptoPunks, features several features resembling the iconic Batman character. Unlike most of the larger NFTs, this one was sold on the Tron network for a whopping 120 million TRX.
6. CryptoPunk #7523 – $11.75 million
LarvaLabs
Surpassing all of its CryptoPunk counterparts, number 7523 is the third rarest in the collection, and its price tag matches.
The question now becomes, with two CryptoPunks rarer than #7523, how many more can they really sell for?
5. CryptoPunk #5822 – $23.7 million
CryptoPunk/LarvaLabs
Continuing the trend of ultra-expensive “alien” style CryptoPunks, 5822 shattered all expectations when it sold for over $23 million on February 12, 2022.
At double the cost of the highest CryptoPunk, 5822 might have been able to send the entire collection even further into the stratosphere.
4. Beeple’s Human One – $28.985 million
Beeple has sold some of the most expensive NFTs of all time, with three pieces in the top 10.
HUMAN ONE sold on November 9, 2021 for just under $30 million, closely tied with his previous work “Everydays” according to a interview with Christie’s.
3. Clock – $52.7 million
Pakistan/Julian Assange
“Clock” is a work created by Pak and Julian Assange, and almost literally acts as a clock, counting down the days that WikiLeaks founder Assange has been imprisoned.
The purpose of the NFT was to raise money for Assange’s legal defense and was eventually purchased by AssangeDAO – a group of over 10,000 people pooling their money to purchase the NFT and support Assange.
2. Everydays: The First 5000 Days – $69.3 million
Beeple
Another Beeple piece and the most expensive NFT ever sold to a single owner – and there’s a good reason for that.
Beeple’s artwork is of a very high standard and well respected within the community, and this piece is essentially a collage of 5000 pieces of his work. Starting in 2007, he committed to creating one piece of art per day, and this is the result. Needless to say, the effort was well worth it.
1. “The Merge” from Pakistan – $91.8 million
PAK/NIFTY
Another Pak piece, The Merge officially became the most expensive NFT ever sold on December 2, 2021, with nearly 30,000 collectors bringing it to a total cost of $91.8 million.
It’s the only NFT on this top 10 list to have multiple owners, besides Clock, and it shows in its crazy price tag.
There’s no doubt that NFTs have become much less popular today than they were in their heyday, but that doesn’t mean they can’t explode again in the future.
If you take the right steps and have a little patience, you could end up with a nice little fortune in the long run. On the other hand, you could also lose everything.
