A new study by CoinGecko, the world’s largest independent cryptocurrency data aggregator, used transaction data from OpenSea, SuperRare and Etherscan to find the most expensive NFTs that have been purchased by celebrities since the start of 2021. The study looked at 50 different celebrities who have reportedly purchased one or more NFTs, to find out who are the single biggest spenders.
The list of 50 celebrities who are reported to have bought one or more NFTs, were collated through desktop research and news reports of purchases in addition to analysing celebrity owned wallets. NFT purchases made by celebrities were included even if they were reported to have sold the NFT at a later date.
The purchase of each NFT was verified using Etherscan, with the purchase price based on the value of Ethereum at the date and time of purchase, rounded to the nearest dollar. Where celebrities have purchased more than one NFT, the most expensive purchase was used in the study.
1. Snoop Dogg – Right Click and Save As guy ($7,088,229)
American rapper and personality, Snoop Dogg, takes the top spot with his purchase of Right Click and Save As guy which clocked in at a jaw dropping $7,088,229 (1,600 ETH) at the time of purchase. Snoop Dogg acquired the piece, which was listed on SuperRare by artist XCOPY, in December last year and added it to an ever-growing collection of NFTs.
Snoop is no stranger when it comes to acquiring expensive digital art, having revealed last year that he had been operating under the pseudonym of wealthy NFT collector, Cozomo De Medici. Considered a ‘whale’ among the crypto community, the rapper has a collection of extremely valuable NFTs spread across several accounts. This includes multiple CryptoPunks, Bored Apes and a second XCOPY piece that he bought for $3.9 million.
2. Gary Vee – CryptoPunk #2140 ($3,953,216)
Serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, or Gary Vee as he often referred to online, takes second place with his purchase of CryptoPunk #2140, which he bagged for a cool $3,953,216 (1,600 ETH). Despite transferring the same amount of Ethereum as Snoop Dogg’s purchase, Vee was an earlier adopter to the trend, purchasing this NFT five months prior when one ether was valued at $2,470.76.
Vee is an avid collector and advocate for NFTs, with his OpenSea account suggesting he has purchased around 7,000 NFTs from various projects. He has amassed a cult following, in part due to the hype he generated within the crypto community, later launching his own collection of cartoon NFTs called VeeFriends. This purchase features an ape in the Punk 24-bit art style wearing an orange beanie and sunglasses.
3. Justin Bieber – BAYC #3001 ($1,301,550)
Pop music icon Justin Bieber takes the third spot with his purchase of Bored Ape Yacht Club #3001, which he acquired for $1,301,550 (500 ETH) on January 29, 2022.
Following his announcement of the purchase on Twitter, many users were quick to poke fun at the celeb, suggesting that he had overpaid for an ape with common traits and characteristics. The NFT’s floor price at the time of the sale was 104 ETH, or $270,908, meaning that Bieber paid nearly four times more than he needed, in order to add it to his collection. The NFT features a sad unshaven ape with dark brown fur, wearing a black t-shirt on a blue background.
4. Steve Aoki – Doodle #2238 ($862,056)
American DJ and producer Steve Aoki takes the fourth spot with his purchase of Doodle #2238 which he purchased for $862,056 (269.69 ETH) on January 7, 2022.
Following the purchase, Aoki paused one of his live performances mid-way through to excitedly show fans the NFT, which was designed by Canadian illustrator Scott Martin. Aoki also notably bought CryptoPunk #6473 for 65 ETH ($160,599) in July 2021 which he later sold for 300 ETH ($974,034) a few months later. Aoki appears to have multiple accounts on OpenSea which he collects and moves his NFTs between including; SteveAoki, SteveAokiVault, SteveAokixTheUntamedVault and 29C1EC.
5. Logan Paul – K4M-1 #03 ($624,669)
Logan Paul, the YouTube personality turned boxer, takes fifth position with his purchase of K4M-1 #03 from the 0N1 Force collection. Jumping into the NFT space all the way back in February 2021, he purchased this NFT for a pricey $624,669 (188 ETH).
Logan has a close affiliation with Gary Vee, and appears to have quite a diverse portfolio of NFTs, with at least two accounts according to OpenSea. In fact his two largest buys break the $1 million mark when combined. His two accounts ‘logz’ and ‘D50C2A’ reveal that he also owns several CryptoPunks as well as a Bored Ape.
6. Neymar Jr. – BAYC #5269 ($569,531)
Brazil and PSG superstar Neymar comes sixth with his purchase of Bored Ape Yacht Club #5269 for $569,531 (189.69 ETH) on January 20, 2022.
Neymar bought #5269 and a second ape, #6633, from the BAYC collection on the same day for a combined amount of $1.05 million. The footballer made BAYC #6633 his profile picture on Twitter shortly after the purchase but has since changed his socials back to an image of himself.
7. Marshmello – CryptoPunk #8274 ($504,069)
Masked electronic music producer Marshmello takes the seventh spot, with his purchase of CryptoPunk #8274 for $504,069 (130 ETH) on October 19, 2021.
Marshmello was also one of the celebs to ‘ape in’ back in September 2021, purchasing BAYC #4808 for 75 ETH. A few months later he sold this ape to user tommykethvault.eth for 150 ETH, which at the time was $403,371, netting the music artist around $183K in profit. Marshmello appears to possess a few crypto wallets, but his most prized NFTs can be found at his OpenSea account ‘itsmarshmello.’
8. Madonna – BAYC #4988 ($466,461)
Pop legend Madonna comes in eighth, with her purchase of Bored Ape Yacht Club #4988, which she bought for $466,461 (180 ETH) on March 14, 2022.
As well as owning several NFTs, Madonna has created her own collection of digital art titled ‘Mother of Creation.’ These three NFTs were made in collaboration with famous artist Beeple, and feature a naked computer rendered version of the singer interacting with the natural world. Despite drawing some controversy for the bizarre nature of the content, one of the pieces sold for a staggering 170.5 ETH in May this year – around $350,000 at the time of purchase.
9. Eminem – BAYC #9055 ($453,776)
American rapper Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, takes ninth place with his purchase of Bored Ape Yacht Club #9055 which he paid $453,776 (123.45 ETH) for on December 31 2021.
Eminem bought the ape, which somewhat resembles himself in appearance, from Twitter user @Gee_Gazza, who took to the platform to announce his excitement in a tweet. ‘I’m living in a simulation. Thank you @Eminem for buying my ape and joining the club! Madness. Let me write a lyric in your next single.’ The NFT features a white furred ape on a grey background wearing a gold jacket and chain as well as a boxy army hat similar to the one worn by the rapper.
10. Tom Brady – BAYC #3667 ($453,062)
Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady rounds off the top ten, with his purchase of Bored Ape Yacht Club #3667 which he paid $453,062 (133 ETH) for on April 5, 2022. Brady’s Bored Ape can be seen wearing a WWII pilot helmet, smoking a cigarette on an army green colored background. The NFL veteran is one of several famous sportspeople to have purchased an NFT, including Shaquille O’Neal, Steph Curry and LaMelo Ball.
“Celebrities buying NFTs are testament to how NFTs have begun to intertwine with popular mainstream culture,” observed COO and co-founder of CoinGecko, Bobby Ong. “Whether for investment purposes, used as a social signal or a means to gain access to exclusive communities, the NFT sector has a high growth potential that is still largely untapped today.”