A free digital cat picture just turned into a fortune. On Sunday, an early Hyperliquid user sold their airdropped Hypurr NFT for $467,000, sparking fresh debate about whether the NFT market is staging a comeback.
The sale involved one of the platform’s newly launched Hypurr NFTs, part of a 4,600-piece collection issued on the HyperEVM blockchain. The tokens were airdropped to early users as a reward for their support of the decentralized trading platform.
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Hyperliquid, a blockchain network focused on perpetuals trading, introduced the collection alongside its growing ecosystem. Most recipients earned their NFTs through the platform’s Genesis event in November 2024, which also marked the debut of its native cryptocurrency, HYPE.
By the end of launch day, the collection had generated nearly 952,000 HYPE in trading volume, valued at approximately $45 million, according to marketplace data.
On OpenSea, the floor price reached around $68,700, with rare pieces selling for multiples of that amount. One of them, Hypurr #21, fetched the headline-grabbing 9,999 HYPE (about $467,000).
Crypto community lit up with both awe and frustration. “A$60k floor prices built purely on unconfirmed utility rumors risk becoming a speculative house of cards. $HYPE’s value accrual remains unclear amidst NFT mania,” one user wrote on X. Others, however, the move, saying: “This is how a project should reward its early believers.”
The hype also lifted Hyperliquid’s token. HYPE rose about 5% to $47.5 in the 24 hours following the airdrop, reflecting renewed optimism in the ecosystem.
Why This Matters
After years of decline since the 2021 NFT boom, Hypurr’s explosive debut suggests that demand for digital collectibles still exists—especially when tied to emerging blockchain platforms. Whether the collection marks a true comeback or a short-lived hype cycle remains to be seen.
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People Also Ask:
Hypurr NFT is a 4,600-piece digital cat collection launched by Hyperliquid on its HyperEVM blockchain. Each NFT is unique, some rarer than others, and can be bought, sold, or collected.
Hyperliquid airdropped the Hypurr NFTs to early platform users as a reward for supporting the network, particularly participants of the Genesis event in November 2024.
An airdrop is a free distribution of tokens or NFTs to users, often as a reward for loyalty, early adoption, or participation in platform events.
Hypurr NFTs are traded on popular NFT marketplaces like OpenSea, where collectors can view listings, floor prices, and completed sales.
