A rare Ape-trait CryptoPunk—number 1021—changed hands on 5 August for 720 ether, or roughly $2.58 million, according to marketplace transaction data. The buyer was the over-the-counter trading desk punksOTC, while the seller, known as Beauty and the Punk, had originally minted the token for free in 2017. Only 24 of the 10,000 CryptoPunks carry the coveted Ape attribute, and the deal represents the largest U.S.-dollar sale of an Ape CryptoPunk in the past two years. The record transaction has coincided with a broader revival in activity around the pioneering non-fungible token collection. As of 9 August, the floor—or lowest listed—price for a CryptoPunk had risen to about 55 ETH (approximately $234,000), up from roughly 52 ETH earlier in the week, after at least 13 Punks sold within a three-hour window. Traders have also placed six-figure bids on other individual Punks, and one wallet acquired four pieces for 218 ETH, underscoring renewed demand. Momentum is visible beyond the flagship collection. Two CryptoPunks (#4725 and #6292) sold for 222,222 USDC and 228,000 USDC, respectively, via lending platform Gondi, while an Opepen 1-of-1 token fetched a record 20.5 ETH ($86,300). The flurry of high-value deals suggests investors are re-entering the NFT market even as ether’s price climbs, stoking speculation that a broader asset-class rebound could be under way.