A unique art piece became the most expensive NFT when it sold for $92M

NFT trading volumes rose 700% in the third quarter of 2021

Non-fungible tokens, digital assets backed by smart contracts, gained mainstream recognition in 2021 as the digital assets’ popularity rose in tandem with investors’ appetite for risk. NFTs are unique and not divisible.

At their peak, some believed NFT royalties could create a new income source for artists

Non-fungible tokens’ role in the art world is evolving with experiments such as automated NFT royalties that generate income when an NFT is resold.

Listen to a podcast episode about the time a 'Bored Ape' NFT—a valuable, unique digital asset stored on a blockchain—was kidnapped.

The number of active art NFT traders peaked above 529,000 in 2021

The market for art non-fungible tokens has collapsed since its 2021 peak. In 2024, it had just 76,000 active traders.

The acronym NFT stands for non-fungible token

NFTs have developed as a secure way to use cryptocurrencies and the blockchain to create unique digital art, allowing the owner to prove ownership of a specific digital item.

NFTs have been leveraged by brands to represent physical and digital items

The buzz around non-fungible tokens has faded since 2021 to 2022, when brands including Prada and Starbucks launched their own NFTs. While Prada’s NFTs were linked to limited-edition fashion items, Starbucks’ were part of a loyalty program.

NFTs are unique assets that exist on the blockchain

This SNL skit accurately defines non-fungible tokens in a song and skit. They are cryptographic tokens that represent digital assets like art, and their value can be volatile.

PixelMap, one of the oldest NFT projects, made its creator an overnight millionaire

PixelMap suddenly became popular as crypto enthusiasts looked to own a piece of NFT history. Its creator talks about its surprise success in this podcast.

See the 17 most expensive wines ever sold, including a 6-liter bottle of wine that sold for $1M.

The biggest NFT projects that live on Ethereum include Bored Apes

Non-fungible tokens are primarily built on the Ethereum blockchain, though other blockchains host the tokens. NFT projects hosted on Ethereum include Bored Apes and plots of land in Decentraland.

Georgia O’Keeffe was the most expensive female artist of all time from 2014 to 2025

She earned the title posthumously with the $44.4M sale of 1932’s "Jimson Weed/White Flower No.1." Frida Kahlo took the title back in November 2025 for the sale of "El sueño (La cama)" for $54.6M.

Memecoins are cryptocurrency created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes

Dogecoin is perhaps the most famous "memecoin." While they tend to be more volatile than other types of crypto (after all, they're often created due to ephemeral trends), that doesn't mean they can't be valuable: Dogecoin is currently one of the most valuable cryptocurrencies in the world.

The most expensive shoe ever sold is from Nike

A prototype of Kanye’s Air Yeezy’s from 2008 sold for $1.8M in 2021. Kanye West wore the shoes at a Grammys performance in 2008, and they became one of the most sought-after samples in sneaker history.

The world of rare and expensive Pokémon cards

The rising value and popularity of Pokémon trading cards is driven by nostalgia, influencer culture, and the launch of Pokémon Go. Fans of the decades-old Japanese game are now seeking to buy rare cards in mint condition for thousands of dollars, sometimes even millions. Learn more about the frenzy to collect these rare cards, and how influencer Logan Paul helped boost market interest in this article.

NFTs can be used for fractionalized ownership of assets

Non-fungible token is a term used to describe a unique digital asset whose ownership is tracked on a blockchain, such as Ethereum.

NFTs create a unique digital signature to prove ownership

NFTs create digital certificates for unique online collectibles, mainly on the Ethereum blockchain. Artists can leverage NFTs to verify their online works.

The 1980s neo-pop movement put pop art back in the zeitgeist

Pop art’s legacy is perhaps best exemplified in its longevity. Long after the end of pop art’s classical phase, a neo-pop revival ushered in a new cohort of artists like Murakami, Hirst, and Koons who brought pop once again to the top. To this day, contemporary pop artists—young and seasoned—command high prices on the open market.

Crypto history's is full of bizarre stories

Digital currencies based solely on misspellings of former President Joe Biden’s name have skyrocketed, and backers of a token based on a Shiba Inu wearing a hat raised $690K to get their logo on the Las Vegas Sphere.

Picasso is the bestselling painter of all time

Picasso’s artistic legacy remains lucrative 50 years after his death. His output was immense, and several individual works have sold at auction for over $100M. Those sales were not only jaw-dropping but also historic, leading to Picasso’s place as the top-grossing artist of all time.

Basquiat's paintings are among the most sought after works in the art world

Although he was popular during his lifetime, Basquiat’s legend has only grown in the decades since his death. In 2017, an untitled work from 1982, sold for $110.4M. More recently, an early work, 1981’s "Crowns (Peso Neto)," earned $48.3M. That work is pictured below.

Banksy once sold his highly valued artwork on the street for $60

The notorious (and anonymous) street artist has a history of sending up the art world's pretensions. In 2013, he sold his artwork, valued at approximately $20K per piece, for $60 on a New York street. Some unassuming, but apparently aesthetically discerning, patrons took home world-renowned work that day at a steep discount.

Beanie Babies used to be viewed by some as alternative investments

Beanie Baby stuffed animals were once a hot collector item with skyrocketing prices as people believed that the toys would significantly grow in value over time.

Guns N' Roses' 'November Rain' is the most expensive music video ever

This list breaks down the priciest videos to ever hit MTV. The top spot is a 1991 video featuring an over-the-top narrative, cinematic shots, and luxurious costumes costing a whopping $11M.

Bubbles can exist in markets for collectibles, not just industries and technology

This podcast tells how "Magic: The Gathering" faced its own speculative bubble as rare cards surged in resale value—risking a Beanie Baby-style crash. It follows how the game’s creators tried to engineer a system to keep a collectibles market from collapsing.

The 10 most important (other) cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin has not only been a trendsetter, ushering in a wave of cryptocurrencies built on a decentralized peer-to-peer network, but has also become the de facto standard for cryptocurrencies. But it's not the only one. Here are some cryptocurrencies that have held on throughout steep price climbs and nosedives.

The Beanie Baby craze is known as one of the wildest collectible bubbles in history

The Beanie Baby boom saw collectors drive prices for stuffed animals into the hundreds or thousands of dollars, fueled by hype surrounding scarcity and online bidding wars. When demand collapsed in the early 2000s, the market crashed—leaving steep losses for many speculators.

Bitcoin, the oldest and most popular cryptocurrency, is a digital cash alternative introduced in 2009 that rapidly grew in popularity and now boasts a global user base.

Stablecoins' market cap surged during 2021's crypto bull market

In 2020, the value of all stablecoins was equivalent to just 1% of all physical US dollars. Roughly five years later in August 2025, that value had jumped to roughly 11% of all US cash in circulation.

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide.

Haute couture and horses: The Met’s most popular temporary exhibitions

In addition to the millions of pieces in its permanent collection, the Met regularly hosts temporary exhibitions that draw in even more visitors to the museum. This list of the ten most-visited exhibitions includes works from Picasso, Impressionist masterpieces, artifacts from Egypt’s King Tutankhamun’s tomb, and more. What was the most popular exhibit ever, with nearly 1.7 million visitors? You might be surprised.

Jeff Bezos has an art collection worth hundreds of millions

The collection includes an oil painting by Pablo Picasso that was once part of Picasso's personal collection. Bezos purchased the painting in a 2023 Sotheby's auction.

View the most expensive materials on Earth, led by antimatter and other elements forged in particle accelerators.

Breaking down the numbers on art theft trends

Cultural property theft has been on the rise in recent years, and the recovery rate of such artifacts is estimated to be below 10%. Explore dozens of other statistics here.

In 2021, someone paid $2M for an unopened 'Super Mario Bros.'

The collectibles site Rally announced in 2021 that an unopened "Super Mario Bros." cartridge sold for $2M. That's the highest price ever paid for a video game.

Ranking the world's highest paid athletes in 2022

The top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world include players from 10 sports and 24 countries. They earned $4.46 billion in total income, including $3.24 billion in salary and prize money, as well…

An up-to-date, complete ranking of coins by market cap and their current value

As of this writing, the top three cryptocurrencies ranked by market cap are Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP, in that order. Dogecoin, the first-ever "memecoin," was created as a joke in 2013, and it's now the ninth-most valuable form of cryptocurrency in the world.

The NFL is the most valuable sports league in the world.

Kurt Cobain's cardigan is the most expensive sweater ever sold at auction

Cobain wore the green button-up during Nirvana's "MTV Unplugged" performance. It hasn't been washed since then and has several stains as well as a cigarette burn. It sold for $334K in 2019. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Monaco is the world's most expensive real estate market

New York City was the world's second-most expensive real estate market, and Hong Kong was the third. A visual ranks the top 20 most expensive real estate markets in the world at the time.

Ethereum Founder Vitalik Buterin was surprised by the emergence of NFTs

Scams have pervaded the NFT space and made critics question their legitimacy, but proponents believe their use cases could one day extend to real estate and credit scores.

This year's highest-paid dead celebrities

Forbes unveiled the list of 13 highest-paid dead celebrities. For the first time ever, the top five people in Forbes 2022 list of highest paid dead celebrities, have made more than $100 million each

NFTs can be minted using an online marketplace or directly on the blockchain

Minting, or creating, an NFT is how NFTs are added to the blockchain. The process can be simplified by using a popular marketplace.

Successful art thieves run into the problem of having a painting too famous to sell

This potentially explains why some robbers hold onto these pieces for years, even decades. Security experts say no reputable art dealers, or even black-market dealers, are willing to sell stolen works by famous artists like Van Gogh or Modigliani.

The world's 50 most valuable private companies

While public companies typically have the highest valuations, private companies get close. This list breaks down the top 50 as of 2025, with SpaceX at the top with a value of $350B, followed by ByteDance. Over three-fifths of the list are located in the US, with eight in China.

Investors are buying up land in the Metaverse

Real-estate transactions in the metaverse are reaching record highs. Digital real estate investors share how and why they're spending millions on virtual property.

Banksy turned graffiti into high art

The anonymous artist is renowned for his puckish, often stenciled street art. He's also known for the eye-popping sales those works command once they're up for auction. This podcast dives into the history of the singular artist, exploring how a British graffiti artist became a cultural icon.

'Tulip mania,' the 1630s Dutch craze where rare bulbs were briefly traded like luxury assets, may have been the first financial bubble—and it still shapes markets today.

The most expensive private schools in the US

Private schools can offer students specialized education and one-of-a-kind opportunities, but those often come with a price, with some schools charging close to six figures. Check out this list of the four most expensive American private schools, which charge more than most four-year colleges.

Top creators get paid millions of dollars per post

From the Kardashians to the world’s top soccer players, a handful of celebrities average hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, per sponsored post. But brands aren’t willing to shell out that money for a high follower count alone. Creators must have high engagement rates on their content, too.

The most expensive Super Bowl ad cost $26M

Amazon’s 2022 “Mind Reader” ad with Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost is the most expensive Super Bowl ad to date. The ad is a minute and a half long, which drastically drove up the price of the commercial.