Summary

Non-fungible tokens are unique digital assets generally used to represent digital art and collectibles. The emergence of this type of token has caused the scarcity of digital objects, and has given great value to creators and investors alike.

In this article, we'll take a look at some of the most expensive NFT tokens sold to date, such as the Everydays: The First 5000 Days token ($69.3 million) by artist Beeple, and a number of CryptoPunks tokens that dominated the list with sky-high prices.


the introduction

NFT tokens witnessed tremendous growth in 2021, with tens of thousands of investors flocking to acquire digital artworks in their various forms. Some of the sales of these tokens exceeded their price records. What are non-interchangeable tokens? Why does it have value?


What is a Non-Fungible Token (NFT)?

A non-fungible token (NFT) is a token issued on a blockchain to represent a unique asset, which may be a document, an artwork, a piece of music, or real estate. These tokens are not interchangeable because each digital asset token is unique and has a unique identifier.

Even if two non-interchangeable tokens are exactly alike, they cannot be interchanged. While any Bitcoin is equal to another Bitcoin and can be traded for it, this does not apply to a non-fungible token. For this reason, non-interchangeable token technology is used to produce proof of authenticity and ownership on the blockchain. NFTs can be fully digital assets, such as monetization games, metaverse lands, or tokenized versions of real-world assets.


What gives non-fungible tokens their value?

The value of a non-tradable token is determined by market supply and demand. It is usually easier to value a non-fungible token when it is created to be a representation of a physical asset. But most non-tradable tokens only exist on-chain in the digital world.

Each NFT set has a different inventory, and each NFT unit can vary in rarity. But there are many other factors that can determine the value of a non-fungible token. For example, limited-series non-interchangeable tokens with specific use cases are usually more valuable. The founding team, along with the artists and community, can also influence the demand for NFTs.

In other words, the value of an NFT token could be related to who designed it, its value in games for earning purposes, or societal and market trends. There are many cases in which NFT token projects have succeeded, but there are even more cases in which they have failed. Be sure to do your own research before trading or investing in NFT tokens, and don't use money you can't afford to lose.


The most expensive non-tradeable tokens ever sold

We will now take a look at some of the most expensive NFTs ever sold through May 2022. The prices listed below are the prices of the tokens at the time of sale.


1. Everydays Token: The First 5000 Days - Price $69.3 million

Everydays: The First 5000 Days is a digital artwork created by American graphic designer Mike Finkelman, better known as Beeple. This NFT token sold for $69.3 million in February 2021, and was purchased by an NFT token investor named Metakovan (@Metakovan) via auction at Christie's auction house.

This non-interchangeable token is a collection of 5,000 of Beeple's previous artworks. Since 2007, Beeple has been uploading a new photo to his Instagram account every day for 13 years. These "everyday" artworks often feature apocalyptic scenes, and are usually relevant to current news and popular culture. This set of non-interchangeable tokens can be seen as a representation of Beeple's evolution as a digital artist.


2. Clock token - price $52.7 million

Clock an icon displaying a dynamic timer counting the days that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has spent in prison. Assange is involved in a highly controversial case, and faces extradition from Britain to the United States on numerous espionage charges and up to 175 years behind bars.

The digital artist Pak and Assange himself created this NFT token to contribute to the expenses of the latter’s case. The token was auctioned for 16,953 ETH in February 2022 to AssangeDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) founded to crowdfund the NFT token sale. In addition to the ETH that AssangeDAO used to acquire Clock, the organization still owns the 17,422 ETH it had initially raised to purchase the NFT token.

Not only did Pak and Assange organize the Clock token, but they also allowed anyone to create their own NFT tokens. Anyone can convert a censored message into a token at any price they want or for free. The message will turn into an image displaying the words crossed out in the middle, as if they have been censored. Proceeds from this series of NFT tokens will go to pro-freedom organizations of Assange and Pak's choosing.


3. HUMAN ONE token - price $28.9 million

Another record-breaking NFT designed by Beeple, HUMAN ONE, is his first physical artwork. It was sold at auction at Christie's for $28.9 million in November 2021.

HUMAN ONE is a 3D moving sculpture that has 4 digital displays. It shows an endless video of an astronaut walking through places at different times of the day. This hybrid artwork reflects Beeple's artistic ambition beyond the digital world.


4. CryptoPunk token#5822– price $23.7 million

As one of the first popular NFT token projects, CryptoPunks' clear pixel tokens continue to top the list of the most expensive NFT tokens ever sold. CryptoPunk token#5822was sold for 8,000 ETH in February 2022 to the CEO of a blockchain startup. This token belongs to the Limited Alien Edition — there are only 9 tokens of this type in the entire NFT token collection. What makes it even more special is that it is one of 333 symbols in which the character wears a headband.


5. CryptoPunk token#7523– price $11.75 million

The next highest NFT token on the list of most valuable tokens belongs to the CryptoPunk group as well. Before the sale of token #5822,#7523was the most expensive CryptoPunk token ever sold.

CryptoPunk Token #7523 sold at auction at Sotheby's for $11.75 million during the coronavirus pandemic in June 2021. Not only is this token one of the extremely rare alien tokens, it is also the only token where the alien is wearing a mask, which I love The buyer of this particular token is among the CryptoPunk tokens.


6. TPunk token#3442- price $10.5 million

Some people consider TPunk to be Tron's version of CryptoPunks tokens, with similar pixelated faces and different rarities and attributes. One of the rarest is TPunk #3442, which features the face of the Joker. It was sold for 120 million TRX in August 2021 to Justin Sun, CEO of the Tron Network. It was the most expensive NFT token ever sold on the Tron blockchain. However, Sun did not keep the TPunk token, but rather donated it to APENFT immediately after purchasing it.


7. CryptoPunk token#4156– price $10.26 million

Yes, another CryptoPunk token among the most expensive NFT tokens. CryptoPunk#4156is an icon of a monkey with a blue headband. Its previous owner, a person with an alias identity matching the code name “Punk 4156,” acquired it for $1.25 million in February 2021, but sold it for $10.26 million in December of the same year.


8. CryptoPunk token#5577- price $7.7 million

In eighth place is another monkey-shaped CryptoPunk icon, but this time he's wearing a cowboy hat. That token is CryptoPunk #5577 which sold for 2,501 ETH in February 2022. Many believe, though not confirmed, that the buyer was Robert Leshner, CEO of Compound Finance, who tweeted "yahoo" after the purchase was made.


9. CryptoPunk token#3100– price $7.58 million

CryptoPunk #3100, which sold for $7.58 million in March 2021, is also one of nine rare alien tokens, in which the alien is wearing a headband. In May 2022, the listing value of this token reached 35,000 ETH. If sold, it will be the largest NFT token sale in CryptoPunks history.


10. CryptoPunk token#7804– price $7.57 million

CryptoPunk#7804is the sixth CryptoPunk token on our list. He is an alien who smokes a pipe and wears a stylish hat and sunglasses. Code#7804was owned by the CEO of design software company Figma, who proudly described it as a “digital Mona Lisa.” This NFT token sold for $7.57 million in March 2021.


Where can I buy non-tradable tokens?

You can get your first NFT token from multiple marketplaces for these tokens. Depending on the blockchain network, you will need a compatible wallet and supported cryptocurrencies to purchase the token. For example, prices for NFT tokens on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) are almost always in BNB or BUSD, while NFT tokens on the Ethereum blockchain typically use Ethereum (ETH).

You can purchase the necessary digital currencies on the Binance platform and transfer them to a wallet that can be linked to the non-exchangeable token market.

If you are purchasing NFT tokens on the Binance NFT Market, you can simply transfer your funds to the Funding Wallet. Select the NFT you want and press [Buy Now] or [Make Offer]. You can check out our guide to the NFT token market for more details.


If you want to buy tokens that are not exchangeable on any other markets, browser extension wallets are a good option, such as Binance Chain wallet and MetaMask wallet. After transferring your funds from Binance to your wallet, connect them to the NFT market to get started. Don't forget to check the URL you visit to make sure you are on the official website. If you link your wallet to fake or suspicious websites, your money may be stolen.


Concluding thoughts

There is no doubt that NFT tokens are seeing an increase in popularity, and are consistently achieving record-breaking sales. While most of these tokens are simple collectible works of art, an increasing number of these tokens also have a variety of use cases. As NFT tokens develop further, we can expect to see more services and uses that go beyond just digital collectibles, and perhaps even higher sales.