KEY POINTS
Auction house Christie’s has introduced its first Bitcoin-based non-fungible token (NFT) auction.
Named “Ordinal Maxi Biz (OMB),” the auction includes four lots curated by artist ZK Shark.
The first lot features 5,141 one-of-a-kind hand-drawn sketch PFPs showcasing various eye colors — Red, Blue, Green, and Orange. Each eye color corresponds to distinct on-chain traits, such as Block 78 for Blue and Block 9 for Green.
The auction also presents artworks inscribed on the oldest Bitcoin Satoshis in circulation by lead artist Tony Tafuro and artist berkin bags, with contributions from developer Nullish.
Currently underway, the OMB auction is set to conclude on April 16, with all lots starting at a base price of $100, open to payment in USD and BTC. At the time of writing, the first lot has already garnered 77 bids, reaching a price of $110,000. However, estimations suggest it may escalate to $450,000 – $650,000.
The other three lots are estimated to fetch prices ranging between $100,000 and $200,000.
“Ordinals are such an important part of today’s Web3 and Digital Art culture – It’s been a pleasure to work with ZK on this project and to dive into OMB and the fascinating developments happening on Bitcoin.”
Nicole Sales Giles, Director of Digital Art Sales at Christie’s
Proceeds from the sale of Lot 1 will be directed towards the Ulbricht Freedom Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for Ross Ulbricht’s release, who is currently serving a double life sentence for his involvement with the Silk Road e-commerce platform.
While this marks Christie’s inaugural Bitcoin Ordinals auction, it’s not the first instance of a renowned auction house unveiling a Bitcoin-based NFT auction.
In December 2023, Sotheby’s debuted its first Bitcoin non-fungible token (NFT) auction, “BitcoinShrooms” by Shroomtoshi, accumulating over $450,000.In January of this year, the auction house concluded its “Natively Digital” Bitcoin NFT sale, amassing over $1 million.
Bitcoin NFTs have garnered significant community interest since their inception, as evidenced by their sales statistics. Just last month alone, Bitcoin-based NFT sales surged past $500 million, surpassing main competitors Ethereum and Solana.
