However, 0x650d withdrew the sale only minutes before the auction was due to start, tweeting only "nvm, decided to hodl". CoinDesk reported that, "Perhaps contributing to 0x650d's reversal were rumors of a tepid reception for the CryptoPunks mega-lot. Three sources, including one bidder on-site at Sotheby's, told CoinDesk that the highest pre-bid offer was $14 million, which was also the reserve price."
Seller withdraws Sotheby's CryptoPunks auction minutes before it's due to go live, likely due to "tepid" reception
Two weeks prior, collector 0x650d announced that they would be partnering with the Sotheby's auction house to auction a single lot of 104 CryptoPunks. CryptoPunks are some of the earliest NFTs, and trade for hundreds and even thousands of ETH (equivalent to hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars). The collector wrote in a Twitter thread that they "simply could not pass up the opportunity to elevate CryptoPunks in the international art community. And with this sale, the CryptoPunk collection will be solidified in the broader art world." Media reports speculated that the auction would fetch as much as $30 million.