‘Covid Alien’ CryptoPunk NFT sold on Thursday at Sotheby’s for over $11.7 million. Dubbed “Covid Alien,” CryptoPunk 7523 is considered to be a rare NFT, or nonfungible token, collectible. It is one of nine “alien punks” in the entire series and is the only one with a mask.
The buyer, Sotheby’s tells CNBC Make It, is Shalom Meckenzie, the largest shareholder of DraftKings. Meckenzie has a net worth of $1.6 billion, according to Forbes.
The 7-figure sale set “a new world auction record for a single CryptoPunk,” according to Sotheby’s.
CryptoPunks are an assortment of 24×24 pixelated avatars. There are a total of 10,000 in existence, and no two are exactly alike. Each has its own unique features and accessories.
Known as one of the earliest NFTs, the CryptoPunks project launched in 2017 by Larva Labs founders Matt Hall and John Watkinson. Originally, each CryptoPunk was offered for free, but many have sold recently for millions of dollars.
Two other “alien punks” recently sold for more than $7.5 million each, according to CryptoSlam, and seven other CryptoPunks sold for over $1 million. In May, a collection of nine CryptoPunks sold for nearly $17 million at Christie’s.
“CryptoPunks have become among the most sought-after NFTs on the market,” Michael Bouhanna, contemporary art specialist at Sotheby’s, previously told CNBC Make It.
Prior to the sale, an NFT collector known under the pseudonym Sillytuna owned CryptoPunk 7523. Michael Bouhanna, Contemporary Art Specialist at Sotheby’s said the sale demonstrated continued strong demand for NFTs. “We are excited to continue to explore new and interesting ways in presenting these cutting-edge works.” Anyone can view the artworks the NFTs represent, but only the buyer has the official status of being the owner.
Although the sale was on online auction, the works were displayed on screens in Sotheby’s exhibitions in New York, London and Hong Kong.
Sotheby’s also opened its first ever virtual gallery: a replica of its real-world building on New Bond Street in London, in the online virtual world Decentraland.
Decentraland is a blockchain-based virtual world, in which users can walk around with friends, visit buildings, go to events and display their NFT artwork collections.
More recent news about NFTs on 3D World:
Viral “Charlie bit my finger” internet video sells for $761,000 as NFT
