Ten NFT assets worth over $7 million: which digital artworks top the market ranking

Topic Overview

Non-fungible tokens have become a revolutionary category of digital assets, radically transforming the landscape of the modern art and collectibles market. The uniqueness of each such asset, confirmed by blockchain technology, has led to the formation of a multi-billion dollar segment where prices for individual works are measured in tens of millions of dollars. Over the past three years, there has been an unprecedented boom in activity: from investors to artists, everyone is rushing into this developing ecosystem. In this article, we will analyze which digital assets set price records, including the iconic piece valued at $69.3 million, and why these NFTs attract the attention of major buyers.

Fundamental Principles of Non-Fungible Tokens

What is an NFT?

A non-fungible token is a digital asset recorded on a distributed ledger that can represent a piece of visual art, a musical composition, virtual real estate, or even a digital document. The main feature of such tokens is their indivisibility and uniqueness: two identical-looking NFTs cannot be exchanged without losing information about the original owner and history.

While bitcoins and other fungible digital currencies are fully interchangeable, each instance of a non-fungible token contains its own identification code on the blockchain. Thanks to this property, NFTs have become tools for verifying authenticity and confirming authorship in the digital space.

This type of asset covers everything—from purely digital objects (metaverse land, items in video games) to tokenized versions of physical assets.

Factors Determining the Value of Digital Assets

Pricing in the NFT market follows the classic laws of supply and demand, but with some specific features. When valuing an asset representing a physical object, the task is simplified. However, most modern NFTs exist solely in digital form, making the determination of fair price more complex.

Several parameters influence value: rarity within a collection, specific traits of the character or artifact, the reputation of the creator, community activity around the project, and current trends. Limited editions with a clear purpose are usually significantly more expensive. The founding team, artists, and community directly impact the project’s attractiveness.

Social factors and market trends also play an important role. The creator’s authority, potential uses for entertainment or financial purposes—all these can sharply change demand for the asset.

The market demonstrates many successful examples, but equally often encounters unsuccessful attempts. Before investing in such assets, it is essential to conduct your own analysis and ensure you are not risking funds whose loss would be critical to your financial situation.

Record Sales: The Top Ten Most Valuable NFTs of All Time

Below is a list of the most expensive non-fungible tokens ever sold on the (market as of May 2022). All prices are indicated in US dollars at the time of the transaction.

1. Everydays: The First 5000 Days — $69.3 million

This digital artwork was created by American visual artist Mike Winkelmann, known by his pseudonym Beeple. The token was auctioned at Christie’s in the first month of 2021 for the above-mentioned amount. The buyer was a well-known investor operating under the nickname Metakovan.

The composition is an aggregation of 5000 individual digital works created by the artist over 13 years. Starting in 2007, Beeple regularly published new works on his profile, demonstrating the evolution of his style. The themes often touched on apocalyptic motifs, current news, and cultural phenomena of modernity. This NFT serves as a visual reflection of the artist’s creative development.

2. Clock — $52.7 million

This asset is a dynamic timer counting the days of WikiLeaks founder’s incarceration. The creation of the token was initiated by digital artist Pak and the involved individual to raise funds for legal expenses.

It was realized through the decentralized organization (DAO) in February 2022 for 16,953 ETH. Notably, the organization also holds an additional 17,422 ETH collected via crowdfunding.

The initiators created a function allowing third parties to generate their own digital assets, converting censored statements into visual form. The proceeds from this activity are directed to human rights organizations.

3. HUMAN ONE — $28.9 million

Another masterpiece by Beeple, sold through Christie’s in November 2021. Unlike previous works, this is his first piece combining digital and physical worlds.

HUMAN ONE is a moving 3D sculpture with four integrated digital screens. They display an endless video of an astronaut moving through various locations at different times of day. This hybrid piece demonstrates the artist’s ambitions beyond purely digital creativity.

4. CryptoPunk #5822 — $23.7 million

The CryptoPunks family, one of the pioneering projects in the NFT segment, continues to dominate valuation rankings. This particular instance, belonging to the rare Alien series (with only 9 in the collection), was sold in February 2022 for 8000 ETH to a blockchain startup executive.

The item has additional uniqueness: it is one of 333 characters wearing an eye patch. The combination of these factors provided such a high market valuation.

5. CryptoPunk #7523 — $11.75 million

Before a more expensive neighbor appeared in the collection, this token held the position of the most valuable CryptoPunk. It was sold at Sotheby’s in June 2021 for the specified amount.

This token not only belongs to the extremely rare Alien version but is also the only one depicting an alien in a protective mask. These features determined its high value among collectors.

6. TPunk #3442 — $10.5 million

TPunk is considered a parallel project to CryptoPunks on the Tron blockchain, reproducing pixel portrait concepts with variations of rare traits. One of the exceptionally rare instances, (TPunk #3442), depicts a character with Joker-like features.

It was sold in August 2021 for 120 million TRX to the Tron Network’s leader. This became a record sale on the Tron blockchain. The new owner immediately transferred the asset to a charitable organization, APENFT.

7. CryptoPunk #4156 — $10.26 million

Another CryptoPunk, demonstrating stable demand for this collection. The image depicts a monkey with a blue headband.

The ownership history is interesting: the original owner bought it for $1.25 million in February 2021, then relisted it in December of the same year, increasing the price more than eightfold.

8. CryptoPunk #5577 — $7.7 million

On the eighth spot is another member of the CryptoPunks monkey line, this time wearing a cowboy hat. The deal took place in February 2022 for 2501 ETH.

There are unconfirmed but speculated reports (that the buyer was a well-known figure in the crypto industry), based on his social media activity immediately after the purchase.

9. CryptoPunk #3100 — $7.58 million

Sold in March 2021, this asset belongs to the rare Alien series and is notable for the character wearing a headband. In mid-2022, the listing price reached 35,000 ETH, potentially making it the largest deal in the project’s history.

10. CryptoPunk #7804 — $7.57 million

Completing the top ten is another CryptoPunk from the series. The character is depicted as an alien smoking a pipe and wearing a stylish hat with sunglasses. The asset belonged to the CEO of a well-known design studio, who publicly called it his “digital JOKER.” The sale took place in March 2021.

Where to Buy Non-Fungible Assets

There are many specialized platforms for purchasing NFTs. The specific choice depends on the blockchain where the asset is deployed. Each network requires a compatible wallet and cryptocurrency.

On platforms working with Binance Smart Chain, prices are usually denominated in BNB or BUSD. On Ethereum networks, ETH is predominantly used. The necessary cryptocurrency can be purchased on major exchanges and then transferred to a compatible wallet, which is later connected to the NFT marketplace.

If you are using a dedicated marketplace, simply transfer funds to your funding wallet, select the desired asset, and click the appropriate button. When buying on alternative platforms, it’s more convenient to use browser extensions like wallets supporting the chains.

Critical: always verify the URL addresses of sites before connecting your wallet. Fake platforms can lead to loss of funds. Make sure you are on the official resource.

Final Thoughts

The trend of increasing NFT popularity is evident, and record sales are becoming almost routine. Although most of these assets function as collectibles, more projects are demonstrating diverse practical applications. As the market matures, we can expect the emergence of innovative services and uses beyond simple collecting, which in the future could lead to even more impressive price levels.