Christie's to Auction Rare CryptoPunks NFT Collection in May
Christie's has announced it will auction a set of nine rare CryptoPunks, the pioneering NFT project created by Larva Labs, during its 21st Century Evening Sale on May 13. The lot carries an estimate of $7–9 million, though expectations are higher given the historic significance. CryptoPunks, launched in 2017 by Matt Hall and John Watkinson, consists of 10,000 algorithmically generated pixel art portraits inspired by cyberpunk and 1970s London punk culture. The nine selected punks are among the rarest, drawn from the first 1,000 of the series. The total market for CryptoPunks has reached 134,170 ETH (approximately $280.93 million), with the highest sale being CryptoPunk #7804 for $7.56 million in March 2021. Christie's specialist Noah Davis called CryptoPunks "the alpha and omega of the Crypto Art movement" and described the auction as historic. Unlike the previous Beeple sale, which had no estimate, Christie's has set a range, though the final price may exceed it.
Key facts
- Christie's will auction nine rare CryptoPunks on May 13, 2021, during the 21st Century Evening Sale.
- The lot is estimated at $7–9 million.
- CryptoPunks were created by Larva Labs (Matt Hall and John Watkinson) in 2017.
- The project consists of 10,000 unique pixel art portraits generated algorithmically.
- The nine punks are among the rarest, from the first 1,000 of the series.
- Total CryptoPunk sales have reached 134,170 ETH (~$280.93 million).
- The highest single sale was CryptoPunk #7804 for $7.56 million in March 2021.
- Christie's specialist Noah Davis called the auction historic.
- The inspiration combines cyberpunk and 1970s London punk culture.
- This is Christie's second major NFT auction after Beeple's $69 million sale.
Entities
Artists
- Matt Hall
- John Watkinson
- Noah Davis
- Christian Nirvana Damato
Institutions
- Christie's
- Larva Labs
- Artribune
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom