The Cryptopunks NFT Collection Turns Six: Here’s The Journey So Far

Cryptopunks, one of the first non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles on the Ethereum blockchain, has reached a significant milestone as it celebrates its sixth anniversary.

Since launching in June 2017, Cryptopunks has charmed the world with its 10,000 digital collectibles, and has made an indelible mark on the NFT sector as the largest NFT collectible by market cap.

According to data compiled by blockchain analytics firm Nansen, Cryptopunks currently has an estimated market capitalization of over 806,801 ETH, worth over $1.53 billion.

journey so far

one in tweet thread, Nansen explained that Cryptopunks had a “humble beginning” on June 23, 2017, when Only 287 Wallet claimed to give away digital collectibles for free as soon as they were released. Canadian software developers Matt Hall and John Watkinson comprised the two-person team of Larva Labs Studio that launched the collection.

By the end of the launch date, 291 unique wallets held cryptopunks after the first claimants sold some assets. A week later, NFTs reached an average price of 0.5 ETH with a volume of 124 ETH. Ether was worth $300 at the time.

About a year later, in April 2018, fewer than 500 unique wallets held cryptopunks, and by November 2020 the number had grown to 1,000. This increase can be linked to the emergence of wrapped rogues in September 2020.

Wrapped Punks are ERC-721 NFTs, backed by native ERC-20 Punks, and are tradable on marketplaces such as OpenSea and Rarible. To date, 770 punks are still under wraps, and the contract is the largest punk holder, followed by NFT company Yuga Labs with 422 punks.

most expensive cryptopunk transaction

In 2021, the value of cryptopunks increased rapidly along with the number of new collectors. While wallets containing at least one punk reached 3693, prices for collectibles, especially exotic and rare features such as apes, soared.

As of February 18, 2021, Cryptopunks reached a weekly volume of 24,969 ETH ($48 million). On the same date, Punk #4156 was sold for 650 ETH ($1.25 million), marking the first time that a collectible item had sold for over a million dollars.

The most extravagant cryptopunk transaction occurred a year later when punk #5822 was sold for 8,000 ETH ($23.7 million), making it the most expensive punk ever.

Yug Labs to publish Cryptopunks book

In celebration of the 6th anniversary, Yuga Labs, owner of Cryptopunks, partnership Jack Group to publish the official documentation of the NFT collection in a first book of its kind.

The catalog will bring to life the untold stories of the collection, detailing each punk, pixel by pixel.