Investor Takes $10M Hit on $16M CryptoPunk NFT Sale

The NFT gold rush has long cooled, and now, even some of the most prized digital assets are being sold at steep losses.

Back in the frenzy of 2021, owning a CryptoPunk wasn’t just a flex — it was a status symbol. The pixelated avatars from Larva Labs, released in 2017, became the face of the NFT movement, commanding eye-watering prices and global attention.

Fast forward to 2025, and the hype has faded. This week, CryptoPunk #3100 — one of only nine alien punks and once the third-highest NFT sale in history — was sold for 4,000 ETH. That’s a $10 million loss from its previous sale price, a stark reflection of the broader downturn in the NFT market. ETH itself has dropped nearly 60% over the past year, compounding the blow.

Even with that markdown, #3100 sold for far more than the collection’s floor price, which currently sits at just 42 ETH, or around $65,000, according to CoinGecko. Its rarity, thanks to its alien skin and hairband trait, still carries weight in collector circles.

But overall sentiment has shifted. Data from CryptoSlam shows NFT volumes are struggling, with weekly sales slipping to just above $58 million as of April 7 — numbers not seen since the early days of 2021.

The message is clear: the NFT bubble didn’t just deflate — it popped. And now, even the biggest players are feeling the impact.