The moment you think you’ve gotten around what an NFT or non-fungible token technically is, you are still left wrestling with their vast diversity and bewildering variety.
Hate them, criticize them or even buy them; NFTs have exploded in acceptance in the past couple of years, and with that popularity has come to a wide array of different digital assets being minted as non-fungible tokens.
There is no restriction to the kinds of NFTs you can across in different NFT marketplaces, from art and collectibles to memes and viral media.
The First-ever NFT was Kevin McCoy’s Quantum. It was the first cryptographic art associated with NFT certification in May 2014, three years before the term NFT was coined. Despite its place in history, Quantum was closed at auction for a fraction of the cost of “EVERYDAYS” by Beeple for $1,472,000.
While most people who earlier thought NFTs were a flash in the pan finally realized their usability, the prices are still skyrocketing. Here is a couple of NFTs that went for the most cash in the crypto world:
10. Axie Infinity Virtual Game “Genesis” Estate ($1,500,000)
Axie Infinity is an Ethereum-based game that involves buying and raising imaginary creatures called Axies and may not be much different from other popular fantasy video games. In early February, a virtual real estate seller sold the game for $1.5 million.
The seller, who called himself just “Danny,” tweeted the deal thus, “This is the largest digital land sale ever recorded on the Blockchain,” while giving a thumbs up to the new owner, Flying Falcon.
9. CryptoPunk #6965 – 800 ETH ($1,540,000)
Each CryptoPunk character has a unique visual beauty that differentiates it from the rest of the 9,999 others. Interestingly, #6965 is one of the Ape CryptoPunks, as is #4156. According to NFTS Street, while Ape Cryptopunks are less rare, some rarer punks in the collection come at a higher price.
This CryptoPunk dons a gray fedora instead of a blue bandana. Apart from that, the facial features are pretty similar to the other CryptoPunks in the Ape collection.
8. “The Best I Could Do” NFT ($1,650,000)
Another NFT created by a relatively famous person, The Best I Could Do, was developed by Rick and Morty co-founder Justin Roiland and sold for over $1million. Rick and Morty are one of the most popular and modern animated series, and the popularity of its creators is sure to have influenced its NFT listing.
With an almost quirky take on the hit animated series The Simpsons, The Best I Could Do is teamed up with the characters in the series. It’s esoteric for sure, but it will appeal to fans of Roiland’s other creations.
7. Jack Dorsey’s First Tweet ($2,900,000)
Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted his first tweet in 2006 on the microblogging platform, a short text that read “Just setting up my twttr.” Although the tweet will always remain on Twitter, it was sold as an NFT to Bridge Oracle CEO Sina Estav. Estav received the NFT as “Signed and Approved by the Author/Creator.”
The $2.9 million later raised was donated to GiveDirectly, specializing in funding poor indigenes and COVID-19 relief programs in Africa.
6. Doge Meme NFT – 1696.9 ETH ($4,000,000)
To beginners and those unfamiliar with the evolving crypto industry, the concept of NFT often seems weird, and the fact that buyers are paying up to $4 million for a meme doesn’t help the bizarre nature of this industry. Most people don’t know a ton of things about Crypto, but given their popularity, NFT tips can come in handy for a newbie still learning the ropes.
Sold in early June 2021, the winning bidder offered 1696.9 ETH, an incredible amount of Crypto that can be spent on anything else, not to mention one of the most popular memes online.
5. “Crossroads” by Beeple ($6,600,000)
Digital artist Mike Winkelman, more popularly known as Beeple, has created many dystopian works of art caricatures of past U.S. presidential candidates like Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders. However, his work on Crossroads is perhaps his most famous.
Crossroads depicts a huge baby who looks like Trump while his body is painted with random scribblings like “Loser.” A bluebird, the symbol of Twitter, sits on the characters’ shoulders, probably to depict the censorship of Donald Trump’s Twitter account in the weeks leading to the election. Crossroads visualized the result of the 2020 presidential election and was recently sold on Nifty Gateway.
4. CryptoPunk #7804 – 4,200 ETH ($7,570,000)
The rarity of CryptoPunk #7804 comes from the fact that it is one of the few nine alien CryptoPunks from Larva Labs. In addition to the usual CryptoPunk, there are rare types in the 10,000-large collection like aliens, monkeys, and zombies.
The Alien has three accessories: a pair of small shades, a smoke pipe with a few clouds of smoke billowing away from it, and a front cap. It got sold around the same time as CryptoPunk #3100, surpassing #7804 by $10,000.
3. CryptoPunk #3100 – 4,200 ETH ($7,580,000)
Like CryptoPunk #7804, the second expensive CryptoPunk is one of the 9 Alien Punks. It has a bluish-green skin color that is distinct from the the non-alien CryptoPunks in the 10,000-collection.
Talk about rarity!
The Alien punk wears a blue and white headband, although it shares this attribute with around 406 Punks out of the 10,000. #3100 sold out on March 11, 2021, but began its journey at a meager $76 in 2017. It further went up to $2 million and ended at $7.58 million.
2. CryptoPunk #7523 ($11,750,000m)
Being the third rarest in the collection of CryptoPunks, #7523 set the record for the highest amount paid for a CryptoPunk. Going for an astronomic $11.7million, the price tag wasn’t a surprise given its rarity. But then, there’s much as to the price the two rarest CryptoPunks in the collection would go for.
We can only wait and find out.
1. “Everydays: the First 5000 Days” – Beeple ($ 69,346,250)
Arguably Beeple’s finest effort and the most expensive NFT ever sold, there’s good reason for its staggering cost.
Beeple’s artwork is highly regarded and respected in the NFT circles. The NFT highlights a collection of 5,000 previous paintings by Beeple that showcases his progress as an artist throughout his career. It was worth it. Vignesh “Metakovan” Sundaresan made the winning bid.
Are NFTs the Future?
There’s no doubt that NFTs will grow in popularity over time, but that begs the question; how high precisely is the ceiling for NFT valuation?
Needless to say, if you own an NFT at the moment, you might probably be sitting on a lot of wealth.
