A rare ape CryptoPunk NFT just sold for over $10 million

• The NFT CryptoPunk #4156 sold for 2,500 ether, or about $10.26 million.
• This digital item is one of the rarest in the collection, with only 24 ape CryptoPunks in existence.

Huge money continues to pour into digital collectibles, otherwise known as non-fungible tokens.

CryptoPunk #4156, a rare ape NFT, sold for 2,500 ether, or about $10.26 million. The Thursday transaction marks one of the largest NFT sales ever.

NFTs are one-of-a-kind digital items that users can buy and sell across online marketplaces. Like cryptocurrencies, they use blockchain technology to keep a digital record of ownership

The hefty price tag can be ascribed to the particular NFT's extreme rarity — it is one of only 24 ape CryptoPunks, which is a set that includes 10,000 characters.

The CryptoPunk series has become one of the hottest items on NFT marketplaces, with most "Punks" selling for anywhere between $350,000 and $500,000.

Different attributes fetch different prices. Hoodies, beanies, helmets on a character all vary in cost, as do the species — zombies, aliens, apes, and humans.

The CryptoPunk series has garnered high-profile attention, with celebrities like Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Gary Vee, and Serena Williams owning images from the collection.

In June, CryptoPunk #7523, which depicts an alien wearing a medical mask, sold for $11.75 million at London's auction house Sotheby's to a major shareholder of DraftKings.

NFT sales have had a breakthrough year in 2021, with total sales volume surging to $12 billion. Just last week, NFT sales hit $292 million.