The most expensive NFT ever sold was “The Merge,” which was sold for approximately $91.8 million in December 2021. People purchased this NFT in mass to create large pieces.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have recently shifted the focus from digital art to game assets, digital fashion, real-world goods, music, and loyalty programs, which are also valuable to digital token creators and businesses.
Explore all the top 11 most expensive NFTs ever sold globally in detail below!
Note that these NFTs were sold at the highest price when the NFT hype was at its peak in 2021.
Which Is The Most Expensive NFT Ever Sold?
The most expensive NFT ever sold was ‘The Merge’ at $91.8 million in December 2021. It was created by a digital artist known as Pak.
Approximately 29,000 collectors purchased this NFT in the ‘mass’ units, which made it one of the most expensive NFTs ever sold by a living artist. Additionally, it also holds the record for the highest-ever total sale price of an NFT.
Top 11 Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold
‘The Merge,’ ‘Everydays: The First 5000 Days,’ and ‘Clock’ are among the most expensive NFTs ever sold to date.
The table below provides details of all 11 NFTs, including their artist, selling price, and the date of sale.
| Rank | NFT Name | Artist/Creator | Sale Price | Sale Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Merge | Pak | $91.8 million | December 2021 |
| 2 | Everydays: The First 5000 Days | Beeple | $69.3 million | March 2021 |
| 3 | Clock | Pak & Julian Assange | $52.7 million | February 2022 |
| 4 | HUMAN ONE | Beeple | $28.9 million | November 2021 |
| 5 | CryptoPunk #5822 | Larva Labs | $23.7 million | February 2022 |
| 6 | CryptoPunk #7523 | Larva Labs | $11.75 million | June 2021 |
| 7 | TPunk #3442 | mondiblo & bastardber | $10.5 million | August 2021 |
| 8 | Right-Click and Save As Guy | XCOPY | $7.0 million | December 2021 |
| 9 | Ringers #109 | Dmitri Cherniak | $7.1 million | October 2021 |
| 10 | Crossroad | Beeple | $6.6 million | February 2021 |
| 11 | CryptoPunk #8857 | Larva Labs | $6.63 million | December 2021 |
Now, take a look at all the expensive NFTs, along with their other details, which will help you, as a new creator or a business, to invest in NFTs that might yield a profit.
1. The Merge by Pak – $91.8 Million
Pak created something totally different with The Merge. Instead of selling one piece of art to one buyer, Pak sold it in components called “masses.”
Almost 29,000 people bought over 312,000 units. The components became larger NFTs based on the number of people who purchased them. The sale took place on Nifty Gateway in December 2021.
This was the first time anyone had sold an NFT in this manner. The total amount from all buyers who purchased pieces added up to $91.8 million. This ultimately made The Merge the most expensive sale of any NFT, even though thousands of people owned some of it.
2. Everydays: The First 5000 Days by Beeple – $69.3 Million
Beeple, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann, made one piece of art every single day for over 13 years. He started this project in May 2007 and never missed a day.
He then turned those 5000 pieces of art into a big collage. Christie’s auction house sold it in March 2021. The bidding started at just $100. A crypto investor named Vignesh Sundaresan, also known as MetaKovan, bought it for $69.3 million using Ethereum.
This sale helped to popularize NFTs worldwide and build the credibility of some of the world’s biggest auction houses in selling NFT art as well.
3. Clock by Pak and Julian Assange – $52.7 Million
Clock is a simple yet powerful concept. The output is simply a number that increments daily, indicating the number of days Julian Assange has been in prison.
Pak worked with Assange to create it. A project called AssangeDAO was formed, made up of over 10,000 people, to purchase the NFT. They raised money in February 2022 and paid $52.7 million for it.
All the money went to help pay for Assange’s lawyers and legal defense. This is a clear example of how NFTs can be used to support causes we believe in or raise money for something that matters.
4. HUMAN ONE by Beeple – $28.9 Million
HUMAN ONE now exists as both a physical sculpture and an NFT. It is over 7 feet tall and has LED screens located on all four sides.
The screens display a person in an astronaut suit traveling through different environments, like a desert, a city, and a forest. What makes this special is that Beeple can change what appears on the screens from a distance using the internet.
The artwork continuously changes and evolves; it never stays the same over time. Christie’s sold HUMAN ONE Beeple for $28.9 million in November 2021. It was acquired by Ryan Zurrer, founder of the company Dialectic.
5. CryptoPunk #5822 by Larva Labs – $23.7 Million
CryptoPunk #5822 is one of the rarest punks ever made. Only 9 alien punks exist out of 10,000 total punks in the whole collection.
This one has blue skin and wears a blue bandana. Both of these features are very rare. Deepak Thapliyal, who runs a blockchain company called Chain, bought it for $23.7 million in February 2022.
CryptoPunks were among the first NFTs created in 2017. People could get them for free back then, but now they sell for millions of dollars because they are so rare and historic.
6. CryptoPunk #7523 by Larva Labs – $11.75 Million
CryptoPunk #7523 became famous as the “Covid Alien” because it wears a medical mask. This punk, too is completely rare as there are only nine alien CryptoPunks that exist and this is the only one to feature a mask.
The naive punk also features a knitted hat, as well as a single earring. It sold at auction for $11.75 million at Sotheby’s in June 2021 as part of their “Natively Digital Sale.”
Israeli businessman Shalom Meckenzie purchased it. The Punk was owned by a collector named Sillytuna just before the sale. At the peak of the pandemic, the medical mask made it extra special.
7. TPunk #3442 by mondiblo & bastardber – $10.5 Million
TPunk #3442 looks like the Joker character from the Batman movies, which is why people call it “Joker TPunk.” Justin Sun, who created the Tron blockchain, purchased this NFT for 120 million TRX tokens in August 2021.
That was worth about $10.5 million at that time. TPunks are basically copies of CryptoPunks on the Tron blockchain instead of Ethereum.
The original minting price for TPunks was just 1,000 TRX, which was equal to about $123 in total. After Sun purchased this NFT for $10.5M, other people quickly jumped in to buy TPunks as well.
8. Right-Click and Save As Guy by XCOPY – $7 Million
XCOPY made this artwork to make fun of people who say you can just save NFT images instead of buying them. The artwork shows a green face with pink glasses in XCOPY’s typical glitchy style.
Snoop Dogg bought it in December 2021 for 1600 ETH, which was $7 million at that time. Snoop used a fake name, “Cozomo de’ Medici” to buy it.
XCOPY first created this piece back in 2018 and sold it for just 1 ETH, which was only $90 then. The London-based artist is known for creating art that explores themes of death and technology.
9. Ringers #109 by Dmitri Cherniak – $7.1 Million
Ringers #109 is computer-generated art that shows strings wrapped around pegs in different patterns. Dmitri Cherniak, a Canadian artist and coder, created the Ringers collection using computer programs that make each piece unique.
In October 2021, an individual known as @AkiraReloaded purchased this NFT for 2,100 ETH, worth $7.1 million at the time. This NFT is part of Art Blocks, which is a website that sells computer-made art.
Originally, the buyer purchased it for only $550 in March 2021 and made a massive profit from the sale.
10. Crossroad by Beeple – $6.6 Million
Beeple made Crossroad to show what would happen after the 2020 US presidential election. He created two different versions, or we can say scenarios, in which one is if Trump wins and the other if Biden wins.
Since Biden became president, the NFT shows a naked Trump-like figure lying on the ground with mean words written on his body. People are seen walking by him without even a glance.
Pablo purchased this 10-second video from Nifty Gateway in February 2021 for $66,666 and then sold it to someone else for $6.6 million. This sale was one of the first NFTs that sold at such a high price, generating energy in the NFT community.
11. CryptoPunk #8857 by Larva Labs – $6.63 Million
CryptoPunk #8857 is a zombie punk with wild black hair and 3D glasses with red and blue lenses. Only 88 zombie punks exist in the whole CryptoPunks collection of 10,000. This zombie punk became quite rare and valuable.
In December 2021, someone purchased this CryptoPunk NFT on OpenSea for 2,000 ETH, which was approximately $6.63 million. This particular punk was previously sold, in May 2018, for 2.5 ET, roughly $1,715 at that time.
The zombie punks are popular because they look different from the regular human punks with their green skin and scary appearance.
Focus Of NFTs Beyond Art In 2025 – Other Applications
Beyond digital art, NFTs are also utilized in gaming, virtual real estate, music, and many other applications.
- Gaming Assets:
Some video games, such as Axie Infinity, allow players to have ownership of characters, weapons, and other in-game items. Players can sell those virtual in-game assets for real money.
- Virtual Real Estate
In worlds like Decentraland and The Sandbox, players can purchase virtual land. In fact, one plot of virtual land sold for more than $4 million.
- Music and Tickets
Musicians can sell limited music releases as NFTs and sell concert tickets as NFTs. With platforms like Audius, artists can receive direct payments from their fans without the need for record labels.
- Supply Chain Verification
Some companies use NFTs to track items from factories to stores. Companies can prove that high-value items are real as opposed to fake items.
- Luxury Product Line
Luxury brands, such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton, have begun creating NFT versions of their products. Purchasing the NFT proves that you purchased the real physical item.
- Virtual Clothing and Accessories
Many people are purchasing virtual clothing and accessories for their avatars in online worlds as NFTs. You could showcase your unique outfits or special items in virtual worlds, and they would be tied to an NFT.
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Conclusion: The ‘Merge’ Is The Most Expensive NFT Ever Sold At $91.8 Million In December 2021
During the 2021 to 2022 period, when there was too much hype about NFTs, most of the NFTs were sold at higher prices. The ‘Merge’ was the most popular NFT created by Pak, which was sold at $91.8 million in 2021.
Besides these, there were many expensive NFTs ever sold in history, such as Everydays: The First 5000 Days, Clock, CryptoPunk variations, and much more.
However, the NFT market was quite good until 2024, but later there were slight fluctuations that affected its price and existence. But the NFT market might come back as it is now more focused on practical and real-world use cases rather than being solely dependent on creating digital art.
FAQs
Many NFTs still hold significant value, especially rare CryptoPunks and works by famous artists like Beeple and Pak, though prices have dropped since the 2021-2022 peak.
The Merge by Pak remains the most expensive NFT sale at $91.8 million, though it involved multiple buyers purchasing mass units rather than one collector.
Bored Ape prices vary widely based on rarity and traits, but most trade for much less than their 2021-2022 peak values of hundreds of thousands.
NFTs can be a good investment, but note that they carry high risks due to extreme price swings, lack of regulations, and market volatility, making them unsuitable for most conservative investors today.
NFT transaction volume declined in 2025 compared to previous years, as initial excitement faded and many projects lost value or disappeared altogether.
