Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold – Highest Paid NFTs To Date

March 15, 2022

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Top 8 most expensive NFTs ever sold

You probably thought at least once in your crypto life – why are some NFTs so expensive? In fact, why do they have value at all? NFTs are valuable because they verify the authenticity of a non-fungible asset. So, this means that each NFT is a unique non-fungible asset. For example, Picasso’s paintings are non-fungible – you can make copies of his paintings, but the original will be a unique one.

In this article, we will take a close look at some of the most expensive NFTs ever sold. You will see the top 8 most expensive NFTs. So, without further ado, let’s jump into details.

Beeple’s Ocean Front $6m

Beeple’s NFTs are NFTs created by artist Mike Winkelmann, a graphic designer. One of his most valued NFTs is Beeple’s Ocean Front which was sold for $6 million back in March of 2021.

The art is called “Ocean Front” since it seems to speak to the current earth’s climate change challenge. The whole image consists of a tree that sits on an image of trailers and shipping containers that sit atop a platform on an ocean floor. The bid for Beeple’s Ocean Front initially started at $2.7 million and eventually, the buyer named Justin Sun had a winning bid of $6 million.

Beeple‘s Crossroad $6.6m

The next expensive NFT on our list was also created by Mike Winkelmann also known as Beeple. The name of the NFT is Crossroad and it was sold for $6.6 million.

On the video that lasts 10 seconds, you can see a former US President Donald Trump lying on a field of grass (with insults written all over him) while people who pass on the street completely ignore him. Also, a beautiful rainbow can be seen behind them. Crossroad shows why Beeple’s NFTs are so popular – they show something different than other NFTs, an image that most artists won’t dare to show.

CryptoPunk #7804 $7.6m

CryptoPunks are probably the most popular NFT collection built on the Ethereum network. The project was launched in 2017 by Larva Labs studio so it is considered one of the oldest NFT projects ever made. There are 10,000 randomly generated CryptoPunks. The project was inspired by the electronic music artists Daft Punk.

CryptoPunk #7804 is one of the aliens developed that features a cool cap, pipe, and shades to boot. This NFT was sold back in March of 2021 for an incredible price of $7.6 million. CryptoPunk #7804 was definitely one of those you wanted to get minted immediately when it was launched.

CryptoPunk #3100 $7.67m

Yet another CryptoPunk on our list is #3100 was sold in March of 2021 for #7.67 million, just one day after #7804 was sold and it became even more expensive than its predecessor.

Another alien in the CryptoPunk collection shows an Alien wearing a blue and white headband. 406 out of 10,000 CryptoPunks wear a headband. The initial bid for the NFT was $2 million a few days before it was sold. At the time of writing (February of 2022), this NFT is for a sale for a price of 35,000 ETH and there are no bids yet.

CryptoPunk #7523 $11.75m

Last but not least CryptoPunk on our list is $7523 was sold for an incredible $11.75 million back in June of 2021. This punk again belongs to the alien group of CryptoPunks. There are 9 aliens in total in the CryptoPunk collections.

CryptoPunk #7523 is also called a “Covid alien” since it shows an alien with a mask. The price that it was sold for, $11.75 million, means that this is the most expensive CryptoPunk sold as of today. It was sold in London’s auction house.

Beeple’s Human One ($28.9 Million)

Yet another expensive NFT on our list that was created by Beeple is Human One. This is a dynamic, life-generative sculpture. The image shows an astronaut wandering across shifting environments and it can change if the artist chooses to do so. Beeple even gave a promise that there will be an “update” of the Human One during his lifetime to this art will probably never remain static.

The project became wanted among various investors and was eventually bought for $28.9 million by crypto billionaire Ryan Zurrer. It happened on December 9th, 2021.

Everydays: the First 5000 Days $69.3m

We came to NFT naped “First 5000 Days”. This is the second most expensive NFT ever sold. The creator of the image was Beeple or Michael Winkelmann who was already well known to the crypto public at the time when the First 5000 days was sold. The NFT consists of 5000 digital images – an incredible piece of art.

The initial price was, believe it or not, $100 and it was made by the traditional customer. However, bigger bids came pretty quickly – a $1 million bid happened just one hour after the auction started. Eventually, it was sold for $69.3 million on February 21, 2021. The image was bought by MetaKovan – the pseudonymous founder of Metapurse, a successful NFT investment fund.

Pak’s ‘The Merge’ $91.8m

And we are finally at the last NFT of our most expensive list – NFT called The Merge. This NFT was the most expensive NFT ever sold. The Merge was built by a completely anonymous digital artist nicknamed Pak. It was sold on the NFT marketplace called Nifty Gateway on December 6, 2021, for a record $91.8 million. The thing to note here is that The Merge was a single art composed of a collection of “masses” that users could buy, so eventually, 28,983 buyers were included in the sale.

Note: Keep in mind that these are only our opinions based on my thorough investigation of the most expensive NFTs. In any case, please do your own research before deciding which ones are the most expensive ones in your opinion.

At this point, it is good to note that all opinions and suggestions written in this article are not considered financial advice.

FAQs

Let’s look at some frequently asked questions when it comes to the most expensive NFTs.

How much did the most expensive NFT sell for?

The most expensive NFT sold to date was “The Merge” and the price was an incredible $91.8 million.

Why is NFT so expensive?

There are various factors that influence the price of an NFT. The most important ones are utility, ownership history, underlying value, perception of the buyer, liquidity premium, and future value.

What is the rarest NFT?

This is a million-dollar question since there is a crazy number of rare NFTs. However, if I have to choose one, it would probably be Beeple’s “the First 5000 Days” since I believe it needed the most effort to create one image that consists of 5000 different images. I don’t see how it can go rarer than that, to be honest.

Who owns the most expensive NFT?

The answer here is simple – it’s Mike Winklemann or Beeple. From our list of top 8 most expensive NFTs ever, 3 were created by him – Crossroad, Ocean Front, and The first 5000 days. He is by far the “GOAT” (Greatest of All-Time) NFT creator.

What is the most expensive NFT on OpenSea?

The most expensive NFT on OpenSea is Ken Bone Punk (1-of-1). Current price is

42,069 ETH.

What is the most expensive NFT on Rarible?

The most expensive NFT on Rarible is Warhol Tribute. The current price is an incredible 1,000,000 ETH.

What is the most expensive Bored Ape NFT ever sold?

On the night of January 30, 2022, Bored Ape #232 was sold for a whopping 1080.69 ETH ($2.85 million). The sale happened on the NFT marketplace – LooksRare.