Sotheby’s Auctions off 3AC’s NFT Collection for $2.5M

One NFT on auction at Sotheby’s fetch bids more than ten times higher than its highest public offer on OpenSea

article-image

TylerxHobbs, modified by Blockworks

share

Several NFTs belonging to failed crypto hedge fund firm Three Arrows Capital have sold for millions of dollars at auction as part of liquidation proceedings.

Around seven NFTs were sold for a total of around $2.5 million via an auction at Sotheby’s, Reuters reported Saturday. 

The star of the show? “Fidenza #725” — a digital artwork featuring an array of graphic dashes and curves in subdued hues — fetched over $1 million.

The asset, which is still currently under Sotheby’s control, had previously been receiving bids on NFT marketplace OpenSea for about 50 ether (ETH) — worth some $90,000, data shows. On OpenSea, users may bid for unlisted items they wish to own, though it is up to the entity in possession to agree to the bid.

3AC purchased the Fidenza for 135 ETH on July 31, 2021, valued at more than $340,000 at the time. 

Data shows NFT collection CryptoPunks was heavily favored by the firm. 3AC made multiple purchases of CryptoPunks on the same date, totaling $3 million, according to a Dune dashboard.

CryptoPunks is a collection of 10,000 unique pixel art characters on the Ethereum blockchain, created by Larva Labs. It is considered one of the pioneering and influential projects in the NFT space.

Other NFTs sold included the Ethereum-based TheBirdHouse collection, Slacker Duck Pond and digital art NFTs originally listed on the marketplace Foundation at a time when it was invite-only for creators.

Starry Night Capital, the investment fund focused on NFTs owned by 3AC founders, is believed to have spent over $35 million on digital collectibles in 2021. That amount eventually whittled down to just over $4 million following significant headwinds faced by the crypto market.

The Singaporean crypto powerhouse hit a brick wall last year following the collapse of the Terra ecosystem, to which it had significant exposure. 

Founded in 2012 by crypto investors Su Zhu and Kyle Davies, the firm operated as a hedge fund and venture capitalist in early-to-late-stage startups.

After staring down more than $400 million in liquidations in 2022 due to poor risk management, 3AC was eventually ordered into liquidation by a British Virgin Islands court in late June 2022.


Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter.

Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter.

Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more.

The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

kamino cover.jpg

Research

Kamino has solidified its position as the leading money market on Solana and is emerging as a DeFi bluechip. Although DeFi competition is fierce, Kamino has kept iterating on its product to provide the best-in-class UX, paired with a robust risk management framework and battle-tested infrastructure. Given the rollout of Kamino Lend V2, the protocol may scale aggressively over the coming months, penetrating previously untapped markets in Solana DeFi.

article-image

Also in the tokenized fund space, Franklin Templeton launches on Base and Securitize hits $1 billion in tokenized RWA onchain

article-image

It turns out that bitcoin never actually hit an all-time high in March. Thanks a lot, inflation.

article-image

Spire, Citrea and Nillion also announced raises this week

article-image

The latest recipient of an SEC Wells notice is a Web3 gaming company

article-image

Thursday’s selloff was led by tech stocks, triggered by disappointing outlooks from giants Meta and Microsoft

article-image

Historically, positive returns have been a bit more of a toss-up during the year’s 11th month