While we are drawing to the end of 2022, the hype of NFT is not even remotely defused. NFTs, including cat memes, pixelated apes, popular NFT collections like the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), and many others, have continued to draw in investors and collectors.
We have collated a list of the most expensive NFTs bought in 2022 and the price each paid to own the one-a-kind art.
10. CryptoPunk #3100
The NFT that just made it to the list is CryptoPunk #3100, which sold for $7.6 million. Only 450 other punks have headbands, which makes this a rare NFT.
9. CryptoPunk #5577
This token, featuring a cowboy hat, was purchased by the founder of the Compound Robert Leshner, for $7.7 million. Leshner announced this purchase with a “Yeehaw” tweet.
8. CryptoPunk #4156
It already looks like the CryptoPunks have a special place in the hearts of NFT collectors. This headband punk sold for $10.26 million after the pseudonymous collector Punk4156 decided to sell his collection.
7. TPunk #3442
This one-of-a-kind NFT that resembles a joker was bought for $10.5 million by Tron co-founder Justin Sun. This is a unique collection as the TPunks usually do not sell such NFTs.
6. Alien Cryptopunk #7523
Due to the rarity of Alien CryptoPunks in the market, Alien CryptoPunk #7523 has risen to the sixth spot. This Covid Alien was sold for $11.75 million to Shalom Mackenzie, a shareholder of DraftKings.
5. CryptoPunk #5822
Out of the 10,000 punks available, CryptoPunk #5822 is one of a series of extremely rare alien editions, of which only 9 are known to exist. Deepak Thapliyal, the CEO of Chain, purchased the NFT for $23.7 million.
4. HUMAN ONE
This NFT sold for $28.9 million at a Christie’s auction. A smart contract was built into HUMAN ONE which enables Beeple to keep remote control over the content being presented.
3. Clock
The Clock NFT, which sold for $52.7 million, is part of a larger NFT collection called Censored, which features over 29,000 tokenized messages by buyers of the project. The proceeds from this series went to pro-freedom organizations.
2. The First 5000 Days
This digital art by Mike “Beeple” broke all hell loose for selling this NFT at $69.3 million. The NFT is a collage of 5000 pictures made one per day over more than thirteen years titled ‘Everydays: The First 5000 Days’.
1. The Merge
The one making it to the top spot is “The Merge”. This was minted by the well-known digital artist Pak and sold for around $92 million by 28,983 participants who contributed a total of 312,000 shares-each of which is an NFT.
It will be interesting to see who breaks the chart to make it to the top 10 to buy the most expensive digital assets. It would be noteworthy to see who advocates for the utility and community side of NFTs.