Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold: How Much Are They Worth Now?

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have reshaped the landscape of both physical and digital art, as well as our perception of asset ownership. They have transformed the creator economy, changing the way artists monetize their masterpieces.

Between 2021 and 2023, the NFT space turned into a multi-billion-dollar market, with celebrities and entrepreneurs fighting to get their hands on the most expensive collections and etch their names on the blockchain forever as its original owners. This period saw various NFT collections auctioned off for millions of dollars a piece.

However, the digital collectible market has crashed since its heyday, with most of these elite acquisitions worth only a fraction of their original value. In this article, we will take a look at some of the most expensive NFTs ever sold and how much they are worth today.

The Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold

1. The Merge

“The Merge” is a digital art collection created by the pseudonymous artist “Pak”. It is known for being the most expensive NFT ever sold, fetching a total of $91.8 million in December 2021. Unlike traditional NFTs, this piece wasn’t a single image but a collection of digital artwork called “masses” that were sold separately through a unique mechanism. The larger the number of masses a buyer acquired, the bigger their piece of The Merge became. NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway hosted the sale and saw over 28,000 collectors buy pieces of the collection.

While The Merge’s inclusion in this list may be confusing, as it is not a single artwork compared to the rest, it helped propel NFTs into the stratosphere by breaking the record for the most expensive artwork ever sold. As of today, the floor price of The Merge is $129.78.

2.  Everydays: The First 5000 Days

“Everyday: The First 5000 Days” is a digital artwork created by Mike “Beeple” Winkleman, represented by a collage of 5000 images showcasing his evolution as an artist and the cultural and global moments he captured through the years.. The piece was created over more than 13 years, adding to its value.

In 2021, the NFT was sold for $69.3 million by Christie’s, marking the first time a purely digital artwork was sold by an auction house. It was a major milestone for NFTs, firmly establishing them in the mainstream. As of today, the Everydays: The First 5000 Days collection has a floor price of $29,263.

3. Clock

“Clock” is a digital artwork created by Pak in collaboration with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange as part of the “Censored” collection. It features a timer counting the number of days Assange has spent in prison to raise awareness for his efforts to expose the many war crimes of the US government and its Western allies and raise funds for his legal defense.

The NFT was sold for 16,593 ETH, valued at approximately $52.7 million at the time of its sale in 2022. As of today, the floor price of Clock is $954.23. Julian Assange was released from prison in 2023.

4. HUMAN ONE

Human One by Beeple is a unique NFT collection that is a hybrid between physical and digital elements. It features a 3D digital lightbox composed of four LED screens that is designed to evolve over time, continuously displaying visuals created by the famed artist, who maintained remote access and creative control over its content.

This innovative artwork was sold for $28.9 million in 2021 at a Christie’s auction. There is no information available on the NFT’s current price.

5. CryptoPunk #5822

CryptoPunk #5822 is among the rarest NFTs in the blue-chip CryptoPunks collection. It features the unique trait of an alien punk wearing a bandana. The NFT was originally sold for 8,000 ETH, equivalent to around $23.7 million in 2022, making it the most expensive CryptoPunk ever sold. It was later resold in August 2024 for an undisclosed sum.

However, the value of CryptoPunks has declined significantly due to the overall downturn in the NFT market. While the current value of CryptoPunks #5822 is uncertain, the floor price of the collection has dropped to around $76,000.

6. CryptoPunk #7523

CryptoPunk #7523 became the second-most expensive CryptoPunk when it was sold for $11.7 million in June 2021 during an auction at Sotheby’s. This particular NFT is notable for its unique features, including a medical mask that became a symbol of the COVID-19 pandemic, and being part of the rare alien category.

7. CryptoPunk #3100

CryptoPunk #3100 is one of the nine alien punks and the only one with a headband. This unique piece from the 10,000-piece CryptoPunk collection was sold in 2023 for 4,500 ETH, equivalent to approximately $16 million. However, by the time it was resold in April 2025, the alien punk had lost significant value, resulting in a $7 million loss for the seller.

8. CROSSROAD

CROSSROAD by Beeple is a politically themed NFT that was released following the 2020 US Presidential election. It was created in such a way that the outcome of the election would decide the result of the image. As Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in the race for the White House, the NFT showed a controversial image of a beaten Trump, stripped naked, fallen to the ground, with derogatory messages written all over his body.

The owner of the NFT, who bought it for $6.6 million at the time, had no idea what the picture would ultimately look like. This one-off artwork remains in the owner’s collection, and its current price is not specified.

9. Perspective

“Perspective” is a piece from the Ross Ulbrihct Genesis NFT Collection. The artwork commemorates Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the now-defunct dark web marketplace Silk Road. He was sentenced to life for operating the platform that was riddled with criminal activity, and the collection was made to create awareness about how he was being treated unfairly by the legal system and raise funds for his defense.

This particular piece was sold for $6.12 million in 2021, but there is no data available on its current market price. Perspective remains in its buyer’s collection, and Ulbricht was pardoned by President Donald Trump in January 2025 after serving 13 years in prison.

10. Stay Free

Stay Free is a digital artwork created by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, featuring a portrait of himself made from the pages of a US appeals court decision that ruled the US government’s mass surveillance program unconstitutional. It was sold in 2021 for 2,224 ETH, which was valued at approximately $5.4 million at the time, with the proceeds going to the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

The current price of Stay Free is not available, but its value can fluctuate significantly due to it being pegged to Ether (ETH).

Final Thoughts

NFTs may seem to have passed their heyday, as they have lost their value significantly from the peak seen from 2021 to early 2023. Some of the most expensive digital collectibles ever sold have lost 50% of their worth, a hallmark of the market’s downfall.

However, the non-fungible token technology is going nowhere and is here to stay. Its use case goes beyond digital art, and they are being used in different areas, such as gaming, supply chain, entertainment, and real-world asset tokenization. NFTs could become the standard for digital ownership, transforming how we interact with physical assets.

As of 2025, the NFT art market is in a dazed state, unclear whether it will recover or fall into the depths to be remembered as just a phase. However, the technology will live on, and is worth your time to look into.