Remember how a few years ago everyone was saying that NFTs are a bubble? Well, some people made crazy money from that bubble. I decided to find out which NFTs have ever sold for the most insane prices, and the results are truly impressive.

Let's start with the absolute record holder. Pak's work called Merge sold in December 2021 for $91.8 million. But here’s the kicker — it’s not just one NFT, but 312,686 copies purchased by nearly 29,000 collectors. Each paid about $575 for their share. Brilliant scheme, if you think about it. Pak is a master at these moves — this artist has been working anonymously for over twenty years and is famous for his AI-based program Archillect.

Second place goes to Beeple with his work Everydays: The First 5000 Days. Can you imagine? The artist created one digital art piece every day for a full 5000 days straight, then compiled it all into one collage. Christie's auction in March 2021: $69 million. The starting price was just $100, but once people realized it was Beeple, bids skyrocketed. By the way, payments were made in Ether — 42,329 ETH.

The third case is entirely political. Pak created a dynamic art piece called Clock in collaboration with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. It features a timer counting the days Assange has been in detention. It updates automatically every day. In February 2022, the organization AssangeDAO, consisting of over 100,000 supporters, bought it for $52.7 million. The proceeds went toward his legal defense. Wow — when an NFT becomes not just art but a political tool.

Beeple is back in the top with Human One — a kinetic sculpture sold for $29 million. It’s a physical object over 7 feet tall with a 16K display inside that shows different videos depending on the time of day. Beeple can update it remotely, turning the piece into living art. November 2021, Christie's.

And now for the most interesting part — CryptoPunks. One of the first NFT projects ever, launched in 2017. Only 10,000 unique avatars on Ethereum. They were free at first, but now some sell for millions. CryptoPunk #5822 (инопланетный панк) — 23 миллиона. #7523 (alien punk in a medical mask) — $11.75 million. #4156 (обезьяна) — 10.26 миллионов. #5577 (ape) — $7.7 million. #3100 (инопланетный панк) — 7.67 миллионов. #7804 (alien punk with a pipe, hat, and glasses) — $7.57 million. The list goes on. The most expensive NFT in the CryptoPunks series is #5822.

Another interesting case is TPunk #3442, bought by Tron CEO Justin Sun for 120 million TRX (approximately $10.5 million in August 2021). It’s called the “Joker” because it resembles Batman’s villain. This is a derivative project from CryptoPunks on the Tron blockchain.

Artist XCOPY sold his NFT Right-click and Save As Guy for $7 million. The name is funny — a joke about those who think NFTs can just be downloaded with a right-click. The buyer was Kozomo de Medici, one of the most serious collectors in this space.

Dmitry Chernyak created the Ringers series on the Art Blocks platform — generative art made from strings and nails. Ringers #109 sold for $6.93 million. Currently, even the cheapest Ringers costs around $88,000.

Another CryptoPunk — #8857 (Zombie Punk with cool 3D glasses) — $6.63 million. And Crossroads by Beeple — $6.6 million. It’s a 10-second video created in response to the 2020 elections. If Trump had won — he’d be the winner in the video; if he lost — lying on the street in depression. You know how that ended.

The most expensive NFT by sales volume is collections. Axie Infinity has accumulated $4.27 billion, Bored Ape Yacht Club — $3.16 billion. That’s a whole different level.

What’s funny — 95% of all NFTs are worth almost nothing. The market is wild and unstable. But if you manage to create or find something unique that resonates with the community, yes, it can become a gold mine. Pak, Beeple, the creators of CryptoPunks — they didn’t just sell pixels, they created cultural phenomena. That’s why their works are worth so much.

As of early 2026, the total market capitalization of the NFT market is estimated at around $2.6 billion. It’s less than at the peak, but the market is definitely not dead. Only those who truly believe in this space remain. And yes, new records will be set — that’s inevitable.