IT'S ALIVE: Shok.Eth Purchased A V1 CryptoPunk For 35 ETH Because He "Wanted To Go Deeper And Acquire Something Truly Iconic"
- Kyle
- May 23
- 2 min read
It’s alive! NFT collector Shok.eth purchased a V1 Zombie CryptoPunk from the crypts of Ethereum for 35 ETH this week because he believes there are two worlds of CryptoPunks, and he wanted something truly iconic!
Last weekend, notable developer Jalil went full Dr. Frankenstein on the V1 CryptoPunks contract, repairing the original marketplace functionality and, with it, resurrecting questions surrounding provenance, culture, and artistic intent.
The ability to trade these “V1” CryptoPunks is a massive development in the NFT space because these Punks were the original 10,000 that anyone could have claimed from Larva Labs back on June 9, 2017.
But, shortly after launch, Larva Labs discovered a flaw in the contract’s sales mechanism that allowed buyers to potentially withdraw their ETH after purchasing a Punk. These broken originals eventually became known as the “V1” CryptoPunks.
Because of the bug, Larva Labs abandoned the original contract and, two weeks later on June 23, 2017, airdropped holders an updated version of the collection that would go on to become the now iconic V2 CryptoPunks that made art history, appeared in museums, and helped define NFT culture.
But now, thanks to Jalil’s new fix, V1 holders can unwrap their CryptoPunks and trade them without the old exploit.
“I think what Jalil did was absolutely historic for Punks,” Shok.Eth told the Gazette. “Breaking the wrapper patch chain completely changed the conversation around them. Not that the wrapper was a bad thing at all. @frankNFT_eth played an important role in restoring and preserving the v1 contract, and that work deserves a lot of respect. But this new era brought back the original intent and purity of the artwork in a way that really resonated with me.”
Shok.eth bought his first V2 CryptoPunk back in 2022 and is a strong believer in CryptoPunks and their place in history.
“I honestly did not think much about v1s outside of the beef we all saw on the timeline,” he said. “ But once I started digging into the lore and history, I realized how important they actually were to the story of Punks and onchain art as a whole.”
From there, Shok.eth bought and sold some V1s before eventually scooping up the V1 counterpart to his V2 Punk, which he said was an incredible moment for him.
“When it finally hit my wallet, it honestly gave me a sense of euphoria,” he said.” I felt whole. In a way, it was also historic for the token itself because it was the first time in a very long time that both versions were reunited in the same wallet.”
With this week’s update, Shok.eth explained that he’s more bullish than ever on both V1 and V2 CryptoPunks and each of their places in art history, which is why he decided to purchase his new Zombie Punk for 35 ETH.
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