Back in March 2021, Christie’s, the famous high-end auction house, made history. It became the first major player in the art world to sell a piece of digital art as an NFT, or non-fungible token. The artwork, a massive digital collage called *Everydays: The First 5000 Days* by the artist Beeple, sold for an eye-popping $69 million. This sale sparked global headlines and brought NFTs into the spotlight almost overnight. For many, it was their first time hearing those three letters: NFT. The sale kicked off a wild rush in the world of digital collectibles and crypto art.

Fast forward to a few short years later — in 2024, Christie’s quietly shut down its digital art department without any major announcement or press. No big statement, no final sale — just silence. It’s as if the hype around NFTs had vanished as quickly as it appeared. The cultural buzz, the tech excitement, and the investor frenzy that once surrounded NFTs seemed to fade away like a passing trend.

So what exactly is an NFT? For those who still aren’t sure: NFTs are digital tokens that prove ownership of a unique item, usually something like art, music, or collectibles. These tokens live on a blockchain — a kind of digital ledger that records transactions and can’t be easily altered. Unlike cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum, which are all equal and interchangeable, each NFT is one-of-a-kind. That’s why they’re called “non-fungible.”

At their peak, NFTs were seen as the future of digital ownership — a way for artists to sell work directly to fans and for collectors to own a piece of internet history. But as time passed, interest dropped. Prices fell, and many of the big players pulled back. The market became more niche, focused on smaller communities rather than mainstream attention.

Christie’s rise and quiet exit from the NFT space show how quickly trends can come and go in the tech and art world. While NFTs still exist and have dedicated followers, the days of multimillion-dollar digital art sales grabbing headlines may be behind us — at least for now.

Still, the story of NFTs offers lessons about hype cycles, digital ownership, and how quickly new technology can capture (and lose) the world’s attention.