In the world of NFTs, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFTs has a potential cult following. Simply put, Bored Ape NFTs are one the most expensive and successful NFT projects featuring images of punky apes with unimpressed expressions and human clothes on their sometimes-multicoloured, sometimes-metal bodies.
Yuga Labs, a true Web 3.0 company, is backing the BAYC NFTs that comes with 10,000 apes, each with unique “properties” such as different fur types, clothing, hat, eyes, and so on. Bored Ape NFTs are extremely sacred.
An NFT isn’t a Non-Fungible Token. NFTs are a type of token that has the potential to completely transform the business world by altering the way we share and consume almost everything.
If we get into the meat of the thing, a non-fungible token (coin) is an asset that has something that makes it unique and cannot be changed for another asset for the same value.
There are no two NFTs which can be exactly the same. A good example of a non-fungible asset is a house. And, Bitcoin is a good example of a fungible token.
And it’s because of this one-of-a-kind quality that NFTs are such a high-end piece of digital art, with sale prices potentially ballooning in the blink of an eye.
This makes keeping up with the market and everything that’s going on challenging, while tools like Mythia help by advising you what to look and watch out for.
What Makes BAYC so Special?
Well, for starters– to become a member of the Ape community, the floor price is approximately 103 ETH or $314K while writing.
From Justin Bieber to Post Malone to soccer star Neymar Jr. to comedian Kevin Hart to Paris Hilton and the OG NFT bigwig Snoop Dogg all own their Bored Ape avatars.
These renowned Bored Ape NFTs have also found a happy place on numerous Twitter and Instagram profile pictures. Steph Curry, Eminem, Jimmy Fallon, and even Adidas uses these BAYC PFPs.
The Bored Ape Yacht Club is the closest thing you’ll find to the promise of exclusive club access, ownership of a culturally relevant piece of art, and a community bigger and cooler than most.
In a Sotheby’s auction last year, 101 first-edition Bored Ape Yacht Club tokens were resold for $24.4 million.
Remember that BAYC was only 0.08 ETH in 2021 when it launched. And sales have now skyrocketed to 1080.69 ETH.
The profit is unfathomable!!
This brings us to dig deeper into some of the most expensive Bored Ape NFTs ever bought or sold. Why were they so special to be in the ‘costliest BAYC NFT’ list we are now about to unravel?
Let’s find out!
The 11 Most Expensive Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs (in USD) Ever Transacted
We will now collate all the data on sales across the on-chain and off-chain NFT marketplaces to determine which Ape is the most expensive Bored Ape NFTs of all time, not in ETH but in U.S. dollars.
11. Bored Ape Yacht Club #1837: $1,575,561
Starting with an intriguingly cryptic one right away, the Bored Ape #1837 is our first entrant on this list of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs that shred wallets.
Because the previous holder of Bored Ape #1837 NFT claimed that Elon Musk purchased it for a whopping $1.5 million or 569 Ether; this sale sparked a media frenzy.
Chain CEO, Deepak Thapliyal (@Deepak.eth), is an ardent CryptoPunk & BAYC NFT collector among others. We know him for spending about $23 million on a CryptoPunk NFT. He tweeted:
To describe #1837, think of it as the oddest one on our list of the most expensive Bored Ape NFTs. This rare Golden Ape in a semi-rare Wool Turtleneck with Crazy eyes and an ‘Unshaven Short Mohawk’ with a Rarity of 208.54.
MoonPay purchased it before being purchased at 420.69 ETH ($1,325,522) and held for approximately 2 months. Deepak.eth had a decent profit of $250K on this one.
10. Bored Ape Yacht Club #5199: $1,611,272
Cyborg eyes and Robot fur give this ‘Terminator Ape’ a particularly intimidating appearance, and it is the first on our most expensive Bored Ape NFTs to only have four traits–which is unusual in and of itself.
One of the most sought-after trait combinations brings the Bored Ape #5199’s Rarity ranks 58th and a Rarity score of 260.15.
Previously bought at just 5 ETH or $14K, the current sale at 425 ETH raised eyes with a whopping profit of $1.5 million (approx. 10,000 per cent ROI) in a single sale. This sale showed the collection’s incredible demand. You can encrypt your Internet traffic with a reliable VPN that makes it extra difficult for malicious characters to access your crypto wallet.”
BAYC #5199 is one of only five apes in the 10,000-strong collection, with such a combination of characteristics. This justifies the Ape’s high price tag as a ‘thematic ape’.
9. Bored Ape Yacht Club #3562: $1,631,222
Next up on this list of the most expensive Bored Ape Yacht Club’s ever bought is Bored Ape #3562.
It was bought by BAYC NFT collector ‘MachiBigBrother’ for about 430 ETH at the end of 2021.
The bored Zombie-eyed Unshaven Ape is clad in a Black Suit. The formal black suit somehow goes well with the Flipped Brim hat, which is shared by only 231 tokens.
Before this purchase, the digital artwork was ‘hodl-ed’ by another Bored Ape NFT collector ‘sevenseason’ for about 7 months who then sold it at a profit of about $1.61 million or an ROI of 12,405 percent.
Right after it was transacted, Bored Ape #3562 swigged an M2 serum and was transformed into Mutant Ape #17125.
8. Bored Ape Yacht Club #4580: $1,845,384
Bored Ape #4580 is a member of the Gold Ape NFT family, which is almost always trending upwards due to the Solid Gold fur being one of the rarest of rare traits–found in only 46 Apes.
This Ape is dressed in a Biker Vest paired with a Seaman’s hat, because why not?!
It was purchased for 666 Ether ($1.8 million). It is a massive return for the investor who purchased it for 40 ETH and sold it after 8 months. So, about 2029 percent profit, or $1.6 million.
Of course, this represents a small portion of Bored Ape Yacht Club’s total market capitalization of more than $3.2 billion.
According to Rarity Tools, Bored Ape #4580 is ranked 257th and has a Rarity score of 207.3, owing to the unique combination of the Golden Ape’s skin and its Dumbfounded mouth.
7. Bored Ape Yacht Club #8135: $1,873,449
The primate-friendly Yacht Club is home to Bored Ape #8135, the 7th rarest Ape, which justifies its 550 Ether purchase price when one Ether was $3398.
It is the first BAYC NFT in the MetalinkLabs’ NFT portfolio, certainly not the last. Metalink is a crypto-native application intended for chatting. The company’s founder Jake Udell celebrated the winning bid on Twitter,
“Say hello to our handsome friend, #8135. What should we name him?”
While the Dagger in Mouth trait is a rare property in the collection, Ape #8135’s unshaven dagger in the mouth makes it even rarer. Only 28 Apes have this trait.
It was held for only 18 days by ‘TheArchitect’ who flipped it for a profit of about $336,000.
Other unique characteristics of this Bored Ape include its Hip Hop clothes, Hypnotized eyes, and Trippy Captain’s hat, which are shared by only 65 other Apes.
6. Bored Ape Yacht Club #7090: $2,272,620
The Golden Fur makes a comeback with Bored Ape #7090, another Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT with the trademark bored expression.
This sale is particularly intriguing because the Bored Ape was previously purchased for 199 Ether, or $563K. It was only held for a month before being sold for 600 ETH, or $2.25 million.
It established a new high for BAYC NFT, making Bored Ape #7090 one of the most expensive BAYC NFT ever sold. A whopping 303 percent or $1.69 million return in a month!
I know what you’re wondering! Why was #7090’s value boosted this soon?
To begin, it has a Rarity score of 250.33, which is positively affected by its Solid Gold fur and Multicolored grin. Next, it’s dressed in a red Service uniform, which only 1 percent of Apes have.
NFT collector Robistraveling, who took to Twitter following the purchase to thank the BAYC community, purchased the Bored Ape.
“It has been a pleasure and a privilege. This sale will serve as a stepping stone for #BAYC reaching new record highs.”
5. Bored Ape Yacht Club #2087: $2,307,638
When sold, the Trippy rainbow-coloured fur Bored Ape #2087 took the title of most expensive NFT in terms of Ethereum in the BAYC collection.
The fun (but angry) looking BAYC NFT was bought at 42 ETH and sold after 3 months, booking a profit of 2221 percent i.e., $2 million at 769 ETH.
It is not only the 9th rarest Ape among the BAYC NFT collection but also one of the simplest ones with just 4 traits — doing more with less. Its trait count fetches the Rarity score of 312.34.
Other traits include angry-looking eyes and the Bored Ape bits on a cigarette.
The collection has attracted loads of interest from people of all distinctive backgrounds. Now turning into a part of mainstream culture, the destiny of the Bored Ape Yacht Club goes to be whatever but boring.
4. Bored Ape Yacht Club #8585: $2,702,462
This sale got a lot of hype, mainly because of its boosted price. But also because BAYC stood out as one of the leading collections with this sale.
While it lost its spot as the most expensive BAYC NFT ever bought, it comfortably sits in the 4th position.
Possibly the most beautiful Bored Ape you’ll ever see! What else does an Ape such as #8585 need, besides a crown and sunglasses?
The image on a Blue Background NFT is of a Trippy fur Bored Ape with a King’s crown (which is shared by just 77 Apes in the collection), Heart-shaped sunglasses, and a Psychedelic body.
The Rarity tool gives the Bored Ape #8585 a score of 190.2 and a rank of 441st. It was held for about 2 months before the current sale, retailing at 696.969 ETH, and provided the previous owner with a return of approximately 104 percent, or $1.32 million profit.
The acquisition of Bored Ape #8585 sparked a craze for collecting the trippy fur apes, which were among the most scarce in the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT collection.
3. Bored Ape Yacht Club #232: $2,811,791
The transaction of Bored Ape #232 took place on the NFT marketplace LooksRare at 1080.69 ETH or $2.9 million. Bored Ape Yacht Club Member and Chain CEO Deepak Thapliyal bought it.
What makes it rare?
Its Golden fur–the trait that is found in 0.46 per cent of Bored Apes in the BAYC collection. It is rocking the overall look of a Smocking jacket and a Seaman’s hat. Sleepy eyes accompanied the trademarked, Bored expression.
Bored Ape #232 is the 503rd rarest and most expensive four-digit ETH NFT sale for the cost of a single one, so far in the list.
“Say hello to my little friend,” Thapliyal tweeted along with a photo of Bored Ape #232.
Prior to purchasing Bored Ape #232, Thapliyal sold seven bored apes, and an M1 and M2 serum, to raise funds to buy this gold fur primate.
“Sold some, took profits. Aped in, spent net more.”
2. Bored Ape Yacht Club #3749: $2,907,016
As we reach the top tier, Bored Ape #3749 is the next most expensive Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT on this list.
Another Golden Ape NFT resonating with a “cool dude” with its Black T-shirt as it is positioned on a yellow background.
The Rarity score of 283.99 is justified by the combination of its Solid Gold fur and shooting Laser beaming eyes. According to Rarity tools, it is the ‘only’ Bored Ape sporting these traits.
Ranking at 27th, BAYC #3749 is known as “The Captain” owned by The Sandbox metaverse game’s wallet. Its sale was worth 740 Ethereum when the Ether price was $3,928.40.
In a Twitter thread explaining the reasons behind the purchase, the platform expanded on its belief in the NFT metaverse, saying, “We strongly believe that culture, whether, games, music, visual arts, will be one pillar of the open crypto.”
It was previously bought for 400 ETH or $1,267,296, “hodled up” for 26 days. NFTs are popular among investors because they have a chance of doubling down to a 133 percent ROI in 26 days.
1. Bored Ape Yacht Club #8817: $3,408,000
At this point, sales of the most expensive BAYC NFT ever continued to break records, making Bored Ape #8817 the most expensive BAYC NFT of all time.
Bored Ape #8817 is perhaps the surliest sleepy-looking Bored Ape pulling off a Spinner hat and a Party horn at the same time.
The digital artwork was auctioned off at the renowned auction house Sotheby’s Metaverse marketplace, and the winning bid was $3.4 million (852.39 ETH).
Its attractiveness stems from a unique combination of characteristics. A Silver Hoop earring and the Wool Turtleneck complete the look, with the obvious rarest of rare Solid Gold fur trait. The Rarity score of this NFT on Rarity tools is 297.37.
Long-term NFT collector and founder and CEO of ‘nft42’, Jimmy (@jimmyeth) made the sale of Bored Ape #8817 as the auction revealed in a Tweet, “This is the first time it has been made available since it was minted.”
It remains to be seen which Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT will surpass Bored Ape #8817.
With a sale volume of $14 billion, the Bored Ape Yacht Club became the second most expensive NFTs during the current NFT market boom.
On a contrasting note, the NFT project has donated $208,000 or 66.45 ETH to the Orangutan Outreach charity, bringing their total donations to $850,000.
Concluding Words:
This list outlines the qualities that make Bored Ape characters valuable (and among the most expensive NFT clubs), as well as the amount of money investors, will invest in and the returns they will receive.
Aside from each NFT’s provable and verifiable uniqueness, the Bored Ape Yacht Club as a project is intriguing for a few other reasons.
The number of such distinct owners is sufficient for a strong NFT community. Owners receive the rights to commercially use the Bored Apes, which is critical for the project’s future development.
There is already a powerful community-centered BAYC, and it is growing by the day. Also, apart from being a status symbol for NFTs, BAYC NFT proves to be an excellent investment.
“BAYC is the best community in the world.” ~ Deepak.eth
As previously stated, they were minted in April 2021 at a cost of 0.08 ETH each. Therefore, Bored Apes is likely to be one of the NFTs that provided the most disproportionate returns to early investors.
