NFTs may have been around since 2014. However, the NFT wave picked up pace in the last two years. Collin’s Dictionary confirms the ongoing mania— NFT is the “word of the year” in 2021! Despite being an abbreviation as opposed to an exact word, the use of the term rose by over 11,000% this year.
BREAKING NEWS The Collins Word of the Year is… NFT.
Find out more about #CollinsWOTY 2021 and see the full list here: https://t.co/gmsnCqA0yv#wordoftheyear #CollinsDictionary #NFT pic.twitter.com/XPhUM7oIoZ
— Collins Dictionary (@CollinsDict) November 24, 2021
You may find it amusing that words like metaverse and crypto have gotten into the list, but only after NFT. So, this has indeed been a year of NFTs.
Let’s take a look at the top NFT news from the last seven days and see if it has also been a week of the new-age collectibles.
- On Nov 23, the leading NFT marketplace Opensea announced that it has partnered with Christie’s to bring curated NFT auctions to the global market. The event kickstarts on Dec 1 and will be open for bidding from 4th to 7th of the month. Some of the featured artists include Mad Dog Jones, KESH, Alpha Centauri Kid, Olive Allen, Joshua Davis, and Blake Kathryn among others. This will be Christie’s first ever on-chain NFT auction. Earlier in 2021, Beeple’s ‘EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS’ was sold for $69,346,250 at Christie’s.
- Crypto payments firm MoonPay expands its services to set up an NFT concierge for high-profile celebrities who want to buy digital collectibles without going through a lot of hassles. Some top names from the client list include television host Jimmy Fallon and rapper Post Malone. Last week, Jimmy Fallon confirmed that he was a proud owner of a BAYC.
- NFTs are making their way into all industries. Now, children’s television too. TIME Studios has joined hands with the NFT collection Robotos to launch an animated series inspired by the Robotos NFT universe.
- Autograph, the NFT marketplace that brings together the most iconic brands and legendary names in sports, entertainment, and culture to create unique digital collections and experiences, has announced a partnership with Billboard. The collection will feature The Weeknd to commemorate “Blinding Lights” which ruled the Billboard Hot 100 Chart for 90 weeks. The partnership is no coincidence, given that Weeknd joined Autograph’s Board of Directors in October.
- Acclaimed fashion photographer Frederic Auerbach will make his debut in the NFT space featuring his works with high-profile celebrities like Zendaya, Natalie Portman, Sharon Stone, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Mike Tyson.
- In a bizarre turn of events, FC Barcelona canceled their deal with the NFT marketplace Ownix, only two weeks into entering into a partnership. Although NFTs have served as an alternative source of revenue for many sports teams in the aftermath of the pandemic-induced lockdowns and restrictions, they are now more cautious about the cons. The pull-out is assumed to be triggered by the arrest of Moshe Hogeg, an Israeli crypto entrepreneur who was among the company’s consultants.
- Su Zhu, CEO of Three Arrows Capital (3AC), announced earlier this week that he is abandoning Ethereum as Ethereum has abandoned users. Three Arrows Capital (3AC) is behind the premium NFT fund Starry Night Capital. “Ethereum culture suffers massively from the Founders Dilemma. Everyone is already far too rich to remember what they originally set out to do. Perhaps a bear market is needed to remind them, or perhaps we must build elsewhere, but this is what it is–nothing new under the sun,” he explains. Interestingly, Three Arrows Capital’s has poured money into the 200M fund Blizzard dedicated to accelerating development, growth, and innovation across the Avalanche ecosystem.
Now that you are caught up with the trending news from the NFT world, let’s take a quick look at the 10 NFTs that topped the chart this week.
1. Fashion Street Estate — 618k MANA
Collection: Decentraland
Selling price: $2.42M
Fashion Street Estate is a much sought-after plot of land in Decentraland, the metaverse gaming platform that has been grabbing a lot of attention lately. In fact, trading volume on Decentraland took a 67.18% jump this week. The Ethereum blockchain-powered virtual world is developed and owned by its users, who can create, experience, and monetize content and applications. Here, inhabitants are onto building the world’s largest alternate reality economy on the blockchain. Digital assets on Decentraland are bought and sold in MANA, the native currency of the ecosystem.
2. Axie Infinity — 550 WETH
Collection: Axie Infinity
Selling price: $2.33M
Axie Infinity is the world’s largest NFT collection. This week too, it retains the crown, but with a feather. A virtual land plot in the game was sold for a record price of 550 wrapped ether. The price is justified as the plot is a part of the “Genesis” land plots in the game, which are considered extremely rare. Located in the center of the Axie Infinity map, there are only 220 genesis land plots. The popular play-to-earn NFT game is on the path to transforming into a metaverse.
3. CryptoPunk #4613 — 275 ETH
Collection: CryptoPunks
Selling price: $1.18M
A quick look at the chart reveals that this hasn’t been a great week for CryptoPunks. They saw a downturn of 40.57% in trading volume and 44.79% in sales. This punk saves the face with his eccentric frumpy hair and shades.
4. CryptoPunk #5169 — 217 ETH
Collection: CryptoPunks
Selling price: $925.05k
This punk rocks a hoodie and a clown nose.
5. CryptoPunk #4222 — 207.69 ETH
Collection: CryptoPunks
Selling price: $908.29k
One of the only 3,840 female punks, she flaunts green eye shadow, pigtails, and earrings.
6. CryptoPunk #6581 — 160 ETH
Collection: CryptoPunks
Selling price: $671.53k
This Female punk pairs a Tiara with a cigarette; how weird is that!
7. CryptoPunk #7479 — 150 ETH
Collection: CryptoPunks
Selling price: $663.77k
This guy pulls off 3D glasses, a bandana, and a normal beard like the quirky punk he is.
8. The Metaflower Super Mega Yacht — 149 WETH
Collection: The Sandbox
Selling price: $646.56k
Metaverse developer Republic Realm sold The Metaflower NFT Super Mega Yacht from its Fantasy Collection, marking the biggest ever NFT sale in The Sandbox. The one of one ultra luxury NFT craft comprises a DJ booth, helicopter landing pad, and hot tub, among other amenities, exuding opulence at its best.
Congrats to the new owner of The Metaflower NFT Super Mega Yacht on making metaverse NFT history. This auction marks the highest price paid for a @TheSandboxGame NFT asset at 149 ETH ($650,000), and an exciting time for every member of the Fantasy Community. pic.twitter.com/Nl0278JbOT
— Everyrealm (@Everyrealm) November 24, 2021
9. CryptoPunk #2953 — 150 ETH
Collection: CryptoPunks
Selling price: $629.56k
This punk doesn’t really have to put a lot of effort to turn heads. However, he goes the extra mile and flaunts his wild hair with a normal beard, regular shades, and a vape.
10. CryptoPunk #3263 — 150 ETH
Collection: CryptoPunks
Selling price: $620.88k
When orange is the new black, you can afford to keep it as simple as this Female punk.
