In 2017, an anonymous gamer known only as Pranksy stumbled onto the world of Ethereum NFTs. At the time, NFTs were a strange, niche experiment—digital assets no one outside the crypto bubble cared about. But Pranksy saw something most didn’t: the potential for a new kind of digital ownership.
Starting with just $600 worth of ETH, Pranksy began buying up early NFT projects, including CryptoPunks, which were free to claim except for Ethereum’s small transaction fees. Friends thought it was a waste—why spend real money on pixelated images you couldn’t touch?
Pranksy wasn’t gambling; he was collecting culture before the world realized it had value. Over the next few years, NFTs exploded. CryptoPunks went from worthless curiosities to multi-million-dollar status symbols. Pranksy’s portfolio—once a small experiment—was suddenly worth millions.
Instead of selling everything, Pranksy reinvested, buying into new artists, collections, and game assets. His name became legendary in NFT circles, not just for profits, but for helping legitimize the space.
Pranksy’s journey proves that sometimes, the smartest move is to see art and technology as one—and to be there before everyone else understands why it matters.
