I noticed an interesting thing – when you look at the history of sales of the most expensive NFT collections, you realize that it’s no longer just speculation, but real art with actual value. Pack and his The Merge completely changed the perception of how digital art can be sold. $91.8 million for an NFT was a shock to everyone in 2021, but the main thing is, it wasn’t just one collector, but 28,000 people who together created this value. Each bought a piece for $575, and here’s the result.

Beeple also doesn’t fall behind – his Everydays sold for $69 million at Christie's became the second most expensive. The guy created one piece of art every day for 5,000 days in a row, and it cost nearly $70 million. Funny that the starting price was only $100. It shows how quickly perceptions of value can change in the crypto space.

Pack’s hours with Assange are a whole separate story. $52.7 million for an NFT that simply counts the days in prison. This isn’t just art, it’s a political manifesto. AssangeDAO raised money from 100,000 supporters to buy this piece. Now that’s what I call the power of decentralization.

CryptoPunks dominate the list of expensive sales. Alien Punk #5822 за 23 миллиона, #7523 sold for $11.75 million, #4156 for $10 million – these guys were among the first NFT projects, and the market valued them highly. There are only 9 alien punks in existence, so they’re like gold in the world of digital collectibles.

Human One by Beeple is a cyberpunk dream. $29 million for a kinetic sculpture in 16K resolution that changes depending on the time of day. And the coolest part is, Beeple can update it remotely, turning it into a living piece of art. Now that’s innovation.

So if you still think NFTs are just pictures of monkeys, look at these numbers. The most expensive NFT collections show that this is a full-fledged art market where talent and rarity determine value. Axie Infinity raised $4.27 billion, BAYC – $3.16 billion. This is no joke.

By the way, it’s interesting to observe how the market is evolving. If before everyone chased cheap NFTs hoping to get rich, now people understand that value is determined by quality, rarity, and the story behind the piece. Each of these top NFTs has its own unique story, its creator with a reputation. And that’s right. The market is becoming more conscious. On Gate, you can track all these movements in real time if you’re interested.