NFTs, or non-fungible tokens,
have taken the world by storm
with even the most mainstream
of news outlets talking about them.
Today we're counting down the top 10 most expensive NFTs
that have ever been sold.
From a photograph of a potato
to a piece of virtual real estate,
anything is fair game in this bizarre corner
of the crypto sphere.
Kicking us off at number 10 is a mesmerising video created
by the pseudonymous artist, Pak.
The video, titled "Metarift," sold for a cool $904,413.
At number nine, "Forever Rose" makes up
the only photographic NFT on this list
and was once the most expensive virtual artwork
in the world back in 2018, having sold for $1 million.
The artist behind it, Kevin Abosch,
is known as a pioneer in crypto art
and also sold a photograph of a potato
for around $1 million.
Number eight sees us commemorate
one of four CryptoPunk NFTs on this list,
with the very original title "CryptoPunk #4156,"
which sold for $1.5 million.
There are 10,000 CryptoPunks out there.
These unique and quirky collectible characters
are entirely created by an algorithm.
They were also the first NFTs on Ethereum
and inspired the ERC721 standard
that powers most digital art
and collectibles on the platform.
The only piece of virtual real estate on the list
comes in at number seven.
Axie Infinity is a virtual-world game on Ethereum
wherein players can buy and raise fantasy creatures
known as Axies.
In February, earlier this year, an estate within the game,
known as Genesis, sold for a whopping $1.5 million.
It's apparently the largest digital land sale
ever recorded on the blockchain.
At number six, we have another CryptoPunk.
As you'll have noticed,
each CryptoPunk has its own unique
digital pixelated aesthetic,
and this one in particular is an ape.
"CryptoPunk #6965" sold for a jaw-dropping $1.6 million.
Can a tweet sell for $2.9 million dollars?
Why, yes, it can.
Twitter CEO and co-founder, Jack Dorsey, auctioned his,
and the platform's first-ever tweet as an NFT.
If you're thinking this whole NFT thing
is a crazy fad filled
with rich people buying photographs of vegetables,
you'll be pleased to know the proceeds of this sale
were converted to bitcoin and donated to GiveDirectly,
a charity helping to support those living in poverty.
Mike Winkelmann, AKA Beeple,
has caused quite a stir in the crypto art community,
but we'll get to that in a minute.
At number four,
"Crossroads" sold for a whopping $6.6 million.
It offers a closer look at Beeple's iconic style
which usually centers around mocking public figures
with a distinctly dystopian twist.
Thought we were done with the CryptoPunks?
Think again.
Coming in at number three, we have "CryptoPunk #7804,"
making up one of the nine Alien Punks in existence.
This one sold for $7.57 million.
Seriously, we're not done with CryptoPunks.
"CryptoPunk #3100" comes in
as the second most expensive NFT ever-sold,
just beating the previous alien before it,
by a mere $10,000.
It comes a long way from having started its journey
with a $76 bid in 2017,
finally selling for $7.58 million earlier this year.
And at number one, outpacing the second-most expensive NFT
by around $61 million,
we have Beeple's famed collection of artworks,
"EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS,"
made up of 5,000 images,
one for each day since May 2007.
It sold for $69 million,
making history as its first NFT auctioned at Christie's.
And there you have it,
the top 10 most expensive NFTs ever sold to date.
Do you think they deserve the hype?
What else are you interested in learning about
in the NFT realm?
Let us know in the comments below.
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