# NFT Sales Rise to $156M, Ethereum and Azuki Lead Gains

**Published:** 2026-08-30T08:39:12.355Z  
**Topic:** Ethereum  
**Sentiment:** neutral  
**Publisher:** TrendWatcher — https://www.trendwatcher.in/article/b55fad3c-860b-4059-8724-e56ea2b09610

NFT sales increased 2.78% to $156.13 million in the week ending Jan 17, driven by Ethereum's $74.61M and Azuki's 251.55% surge.

The non-fungible token (NFT) market recorded $156.13 million in total sales during the week spanning January 10–17, 2025, a 2.78% increase from the prior week, driven by a 115.41% rise in buyers [1]. This uptick comes amid a broader upward trend in cryptocurrency valuations, though the NFT market has seen significant volatility, including its weakest monthly performance in April 2024 since October 2023 [1, 4].

| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Weekly Sales | $156.13 million [1] |
| Week-over-week change | +2.78% [1] |
| Top Blockchain | Ethereum ($74.61 million) [1] |
| Top Collection | Azuki ($14.88 million) [1] |

## Market Performance and Blockchain Dominance
Ethereum remained the dominant blockchain for NFT sales, generating $74.61 million, a 30.40% increase week-over-week [1]. This performance contributed to Ethereum's cumulative lifetime NFT sales of $44.84 billion [1]. In contrast, Bitcoin ranked third with $27.5 million in NFT sales, an 11.43% contraction from the previous week, despite recently surpassing $5 billion in historical sales [1]. Solana also saw a downturn, with $14.24 million in transactions, a 33.13% decrease, bringing its cumulative total to $6.15 billion [1]. The overall market experienced heightened activity, with the volume of sellers rising by 107.80% [1].

## Collection Highlights and Shifting Dynamics
The Azuki collection, an Ethereum-based portfolio, was the most significant contributor to weekly sales, generating $14.88 million—a 251.55% increase compared to the prior week [1]. Azuki's aggregate sales volume since inception stands at over $1.2 billion [1]. Another Ethereum-native series, Pudgy Penguins, accumulated $7.79 million in sales, a 7.37% decline week-over-week, with total sales reaching $560.7 million, ranking it as the 13th highest-selling NFT collection [1]. Bitcoin NFTs, categorized as "$?? BRC-20 NFTs," secured the third spot in collection rankings with $7.6 million in sales, contributing to a cumulative volume of $219.7 million since tracking began [1]. The most expensive NFT sale of the week was Cryptopunk #4940, which sold for $502,942 [1].

Despite Ethereum's sustained growth, the market has shown signs of volatility. In April 2024, Ethereum recorded $241 million in sales, a substantial decrease from $489 million in March, marking its weakest monthly performance since October 2023 [4]. The overall NFT market saw total sales volume decrease to $1.15 billion in April from $1.53 billion in March, though this still represented a 56% increase year-over-year [4].

## What to watch
*   **Ethereum's sales trajectory:** Monitor if Ethereum can sustain its recent weekly growth or if it will revert to the declines seen in April 2024 [1, 4].
*   **Bitcoin NFT momentum:** Observe whether Bitcoin's NFT sales can recover from their recent weekly contraction and build on the $5 billion lifetime sales milestone [1].
*   **Azuki and top collections:** Track the continued performance of high-profile collections like Azuki, given its significant week-over-week increase, as well as other top collections for shifts in buyer interest [1].

The recent increase in NFT sales, particularly on Ethereum and for collections like Azuki, indicates renewed buyer interest despite ongoing market fluctuations and previous periods of decline [1, 4]. The contrasting performance of different blockchains and collections highlights the dynamic nature of the NFT ecosystem and its sensitivity to broader crypto market trends [1].

## Sources
1. News — [NFT Sales Hit $156M as Ethereum and Azuki Steal the Spotlight](https://news.bitcoin.com/nft-sales-hit-156m-as-ethereum-and-azuki-steal-the-spotlight/)
2. Cryptorank — [Get more information about NFT sales in the crypto industry](https://cryptorank.io/news/tag/nft-sales)
3. CNBC — [cnbc.com/2021/03/22/twitter-ceo-jack-dorseys-first-tweet-nft-sells-for...](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/22/twitter-ceo-jack-dorseys-first-tweet-nft-sells-for-2point9-million.html)
4. Medium — [Turbulent Waters of NFT Sales: Ethereum’s April Performance | Medium](https://medium.com/@FunNFT/turbulent-waters-of-nft-sales-ethereums-april-performance-6f10baff2f14)
5. Web2 — [NFT sales Archives - Web 2.0 Monetizer](https://web2.support/tag/nft-sales/)

---
Cite as: TrendWatcher, "NFT Sales Rise to $156M, Ethereum and Azuki Lead Gains", https://www.trendwatcher.in/article/b55fad3c-860b-4059-8724-e56ea2b09610