A "alien" CryptoPunk, number 3100, one of the rarest types in the series, was purchased for a staggering 4,500 ether or $16 million.

This transaction stands as the second-highest sale in the premium NFT collection, only eclipsed by a CryptoPunk bought for $23.7 million in February 2022.

Originally acquired for just $2,127 in 2017, CryptoPunk #3100 underwent another ownership change in 2021 for $7.58 million before its latest staggering sale price.

Unique among the 10,000 CryptoPunks, each characterized by distinct features, CryptoPunk #3100 belongs to a highly coveted subgroup of nine alien punks, identifiable by their blueish skin tones. This rarity has positioned alien punks as the collection's most prized assets, with two others currently listed for sale at $17.8 and $19.6 million.

The CryptoPunks series, initially released by Larva Labs in 2017, transitioned ownership to Yuga Labs, the creators behind the Bored Ape NFT series, in 2022. The recent sale of CryptoPunk #3100 has been interpreted by many within the crypto community as an indication of a renewed bull market.

Presently, CryptoPunks lead as today's top NFT collection with a 24-hour trading volume of $17.16 million and a market cap nearing 570,000 ETH (approximately $2.03 billion). In comparison, other prominent NFT series such as Bored Ape Yacht Club and Pudgy Penguins hold market caps of 192,500 ETH ($683 million) and 143,097 ETH ($507 million), respectively.

It's worth noting that CryptoPunk #3100 does not hold the record for the most expensive NFT sold; that title goes to “the Merge” by Pak, which fetched a whopping $91.8 million during the 2021-2022 NFT boom, marking it as one of the highest-priced NFT sales to date.