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Rare CryptoPunk NFTs Fetch Almost $17M at Christie's Auction

All nine CryptoPunks are among the first 1,000 NFT minted in the early days of creator Larva Labs.

By Sebastian Sinclair
Updated May 9, 2023, 3:19 a.m. Published May 12, 2021, 8:23 a.m.
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Nine rare non-fungible token (NFT) digital collectibles known as CryptoPunks have sold for almost $17 million at physical auction house Christie’s, according to a Twitter announcement on Wednesday.

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  • All nine CryptoPunks are among the first 1,000 minted in the early days of creator Larva Labs and fetched a total of $16,962,500.
  • The NFTs, taken from Larva Labs' own collection, were part of the "21st Century Evening Sale" at Christie's, the 255-year-old, U.K.-based auction house.
  • NFTs are blockchain-based tokens incorporating various attributes representing artwork or assets in the digital domain and can be used to verify proof of ownership.
  • In March, Christie's sold an NFT representing digital artist Beeple's work for a record $69 million.
  • The CryptoPunks sale highlights the continuing demand for digital art validated by blockchain technology.
  • On Wednesday, eCommerce company eBay announced it would allow the sale of NFTs on its platform including trading cards, images and video clips.

See also: Merriam-Webster to Auction an NFT of Its New Definition of an NFT

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