Sotheby’s is Auctioning off Five of 24 Rare CryptoPunk Prints NFTs 

OG NFT Collectibles CryptoPunks is auctioning off five CryptoPunk Prints NFTs at Sotheby’s. This is a highly anticipated event for fans and collectors because there are only 24 Prints in existence. 

Sotheby’s and CryptoPunks have a proven and tested partnership. Together, they set a world record two weeks ago with the sale of Covid Alien / Punk 7523 for $11.75M. 

CryptoPunk Prints NFTs

There’s a finite supply of 10,000 CryptoPunks in the NFT World. The CryptoPunk Print NFTs are inherently rare and exclusive because there are only 24 Official Prints and this auction marks the sale of the first five. In addition, the prints are signed and certified by the co-creator of CryptoPunks, John Watkinson.

Apart from the Prints, winning bidders will also receive an envelope sealed in wax with the insignia of Crypto Punks. Inside the envelope is a “paper wallet” that contains the mnemonic for the CryptoPunks NFT Token. 

All five CryptoPunks to be offered at auction are from the personal collection of Swiss curator and digital art expert Georg Bak. Bak holds the record of being the first to exhibit a collection of nine CryptoPunk Print Editions back in 2018. It was part of a group show, ‘Perfect & Priceless: Value Systems on the Blockchain’ at Kate Vass Galerie in Zurich. CryptoPunks #1819 and #872 were displayed as part of this debut exhibition, while the remaining three have never been shown publicly.

Michael Bouhanna, a sales specialist from Sotheby’s, weighed in on what this auction represents. He said, “These five fantastically rare ‘physical punks form a very important bridge between the physical and the digital. This is where the digital art world meets the traditional.” 

A Closer Look

The CryptoPunk Prints NFTs created at the inception of CryptoPunks are rare because they account for .0024 of the total supply. Moreover, CryptoPunks  #6347, #770, #872, #1819, and #2830 bear unique and rare characteristic. For example, ‘black lipstick,’ ‘green eye shadow,’ ‘crazy hair,’ ‘luxurious beard,’ ‘hot lipstick,’ a ‘peak spike’ and even a ‘police cap.’ 

Bouhanna is confident that this auction will fly because the target market is not just crypto enthusiasts. He said, “The appeal of CryptoPunks has transcended beyond the world of Crypto-enthusiasts, to ‘traditional’ art lovers too. Here, in this sale, we have a group of unique Punks, each defined by their own eccentric characteristics, made even more special by their accompanying prints.”

Sotheby’s has become a reliable ally for the NFT Space. Recently, it announced the acceptance of crypto for high-ticket items.  The rare gem is “The Key 101.38”, a pear-shaped diamond with flawless clarity and D-Color worth  $10 Million to $15 Million. Sotheby’s prestige as a traditional auction house is one of the reasons why CryptoPunks can command million-dollar prices. Today, the cheapest punk you can buy will run you about $30,000 worth of ETH.

Four days until lots begin closing on July 1, 2021.