Later this month, Sotheby’s will offer five exceptionally rare CryptoPunks. Of the 10,000 Cryptopunks created, only 24 were issued in physical form, as certified prints signed by co-creator John Watkinson. In an auction first, five of those 24 prints – each of which also exist in digital form - will be offered in a standalone sale at Sotheby’s, with bidding open from 24 June to 1 July.
First released in 2017 by artists Matt Hall and John Watkinson, the founders of Larva Labs, CryptoPunks were one of the earliest NFT projects and a catalyst for the entire Crypto-Art movement. While the duo released 10,000 Punks for free – besides a small transaction fee – they have since been the subject of a tsunami of interest. Today, “Alien” Punk #7523 fetched $11.8 million at Sotheby’s – a record for a single CryptoPunk. The NFT was acquired by Shalom Meckenzie, the largest shareholder of DraftKings.
The 24 signed prints created at the inception of the CryptoPunks are in themselves rare (accounting for less than a quarter of a percent of the total number of digital CryptoPunks in existence). Beyond that, each of the punks to be offered this month (#6347, #770, #872, #1819 and #2830) bears a mix of sought-after characteristics, including, ‘black lipstick’, ‘green eye shadow’, ‘crazy hair’, ‘luxurious beard’, ‘hot lipstick’, a ‘peak spike’ and even a ‘police cap’. Each will be accompanied by a wax-sealed envelope, rubber stamped and containing a “paper wallet” - a mnemonic code that provides access to the unique Ethereum-based token
PRESS OFFICE CONTACT
Alicia Stockley | Alicia.Stockley@sothebys.com
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*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.
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