The famous CryptoPunks collection has received a lot of movement recently.
Until 2021, NFT was the biggest fad in the cryptocurrency market. However, this niche saw a sharp decline during the bear market. Starting in 2023 with the Bitcoin Ordinals fever, however, NFTs once again gained prominence.
An unknown user paid 4,850 Ethereum (ETH) to one of the nine Alien Punks, #7804. The value corresponds to around $16 million, based on the current ETH price. Alien Punks are the rarest examples of CryptoPunks, which is the world’s largest collection of NFTs by market value.
The move came just days after the sale of CryptoPunk #3100, which sold in early March for 4,500 ETH or about $16 million at the time of writing. At that time, the piece was ranked as the second most expensive CryptoPunk in history, but now the new sale has taken its position.
With this, the user made the second largest purchase of a CryptoPunks in history, reviving optimism with NFTs.
Punk NFT ‘Blue Skin’ Raises $16.42 Million
Punk #7804 is part of the exclusive Alien Punks collection, which has only nine units. One of the aspects that makes it strange is the blue color of its “skin”. On Wednesday, March 20, an unknown user paid 4,850 ETH. This is equivalent to approximately $16.42 million at the time of sale and marks the second largest transaction in CryptoPunks history, both in terms of ETH and USD.
Interestingly, a new large transaction involving NFTs took place in early March. The operation was the purchase of another Alien Punk, this time number #3100, which raised 4,500 ETH. At that time, the operation corresponded to 16.03 million dollars, the third largest purchase by a CryptoPunk. #7804, which is among the nine Alien Punks in the CryptoPunks collection, is one of the rarest and most expensive sets and features blue skin and a bandana.
The buyer’s identity remains secret, reflecting the Alien Punk #3100’s buyer’s anonymity. However, the individual who sold Punk #7804 made a nice profit. He acquired the work in 2021, at the height of the bull market, and paid 4,200 ETH. At that time, the value corresponded to 7.5 million dollars, that is, less than half of the price he received.
The seller went to X and regretted not having “given due value” to his NFT. At the same time, he celebrated the sale. “The end of an era. I have felt like an imposter for a long time. Holding punks and potentially NFTs hostage for not raising 7804 as it deserves. After over a year of research, I feel I have found the right buyer with the right vision to properly elevate this asset,” the seller said.
CryptoPunks Journey So Far
CryptoPunks emerged in June 2017, created by the Larva Labs studio. They were the first major collection of NFTs to gain success and interest in the market. Subsequently, Yuga Labs, the studio that created the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) project, acquired the rights to CryptoPunks for an undisclosed sum.
To commemorate the sixth anniversary in June 2023, Yuga Labs partnered with Zak Group to produce a book containing official CryptoPunks documentation. According to data from CryptoSlam, CryptoPunks recorded over $55.24 million in sales during March, with 71 unique sellers and 49 unique buyers in the same period.
By Audy Castaneda
