Recently, I was reviewing the history of the highest NFT sales, and there is something that definitely deserves attention: Pak's The Merge remains the most expensive NFT ever sold, and the figure is absolutely mind-blowing. $91.8 million in December 2021.

The interesting thing is not just the price, but how it was sold. Pak did something different: instead of selling a single piece to a collector, they allowed thousands of people to buy fragments. Over 28,000 collectors participated, each purchasing units at $575. The more units someone bought, the greater their stake in the artwork. It was almost like a crowdfunding model but applied to digital art.

But Pak wasn't the only one to revolutionize this space. Beeple also made his mark with Everydays: The First 5000 Days, sold at Christie's for $69 million in March 2021. This digital artist spent five thousand days creating a piece every day, compiling them all into a massive collage. The auction started with an initial bid of just $100. Yes, one hundred dollars. Bids skyrocketed because the crypto community recognized the value of what they were seeing.

Another project that captured attention was Clock, a collaboration between Pak and Julian Assange. It wasn't just art; it was a timer that recorded Assange's days of imprisonment, updating automatically each day. AssangeDAO, a group of over 100,000 supporters, paid $52.7 million for it. The money was allocated to Assange's legal defense. So, this most expensive NFT of its kind had a purpose beyond speculation.

Then there's Human One, also by Beeple, a 16K kinetic sculpture that functions 24/7. It sold for $29 million at Christie's. The fascinating part is that Beeple can update it remotely, so the piece constantly evolves. It’s not static; it’s alive.

Now, when it comes to collections, CryptoPunks continues to be a record-breaking price generator. #5822, un Alien Punk de piel azul, se vendió por 23 millones de dólares. El #7523, another alien with a medical mask, reached $11.75 million at Sotheby's. These NFTs were among the first in the space, launched in 2017 on Ethereum, and that gives them a significant historical weight that collectors highly value.

There are others worth mentioning: CryptoPunk #4156, un simio por 10.26 millones. CryptoPunk #5577, another ape, sold for $7.7 million. #3100, an alien, for $7.67 million. The list goes on and on.

XCOPY sold "Right-click and Save As Guy" for $7 million. The irony of the piece was brilliant: many people mistakenly believe that NFTs can be downloaded with a right-click, so the artist literally created a work about that. It was initially sold for 1 ETH ($90 in 2018), and years later, it reached those millions.

Dmitri Cherniak's Ringers #109 reached $6.93 million on Art Blocks. Beeple's Crossroad, a 10-second short film about the 2020 presidential elections, sold for $6.6 million on Nifty Gateway.

What I observe is that the most expensive NFT of the moment reflects very specific trends: extreme rarity, artists with established reputations, cultural or political significance, and engaged communities behind each project. It’s not just speculative money; there’s narrative, there’s purpose.

The leading collections by total sales volume remain Axie Infinity with $4.27 billion accumulated and Bored Ape Yacht Club with $3.16 billion. But these volume numbers are different from record individual prices.

The NFT market is undoubtedly volatile. According to some reports, 95% of NFTs are practically worthless. But the works that do have value, have VERY high value. The total market capitalization of NFTs is around $2.6 billion as of early 2026.

What’s clear to me is that the digital art world has found in NFTs a new form of expression and commerce. Whether you see this as the future of art or as a speculative bubble, the numbers speak for themselves. The Merge, Everydays, Clock, Human One, and CryptoPunks set milestones that will probably take years to be surpassed. Each of these works has its own story, its own creator, its own reason for existing. And that’s what makes them valuable.