CryptoPunks
CryptoPunks are a set of 10,000 unique digital collectible characters stored on the Ethereum blockchain. Each item in the collection is a 24×24 pixel, 8-bit-style portrait with a unique set of attributes and traits.
CryptoPunks was one of the first non-fungible token projects and has since paved the way for other successful NFT collections such as CryptoKitties, Bored Ape Yacht Club and CrypToadz.
Launched in June 2017, CryptoPunks cost nothing for anyone with an Ethereum wallet, as long as they were willing to cover the nominal minting fee. Four years later, during the 2021 NFT explosion, CryptoPunks saw a significant increase in market value.
Some CryptoPunks have been sold for tens of millions of dollars. This created a brand new breed of millionaires out of some of the very first CryptoPunks owners — who acquired one for free. The rarest pieces in the collection, such as the limited number of alien images, are also among the most valuable pieces of digital art ever sold. They have helped to legitimize the significance of NFTs as an artistic movement and technology.
CryptoPunks can most broadly be categorized into five different types of increasing rarity: male, female, zombie, ape and alien, respectively. Each pixelated CryptoPunk is randomly generated with a unique set of accessories like hats, facial hair, glasses, earrings and more.
Unlike the many other NFT collections it went on to inspire, CryptoPunks were created using the ERC-20 token standard, the same used by cryptocurrencies such as MANA and ENJ. The ERC-721 standard, which the collection helped inspire, is used by the majority of other Ethereum-based collections today.
