Elon Musk Reportedly Buys Rare Golden Bored Ape NFT for Over $1.5 Million

A non-fungible token (NFT) collector on Twitter claims to have sold a rare piece from the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club collection to Tesla CEO Elon Musk for a fee worth over $1.5 million. The trade was facilitated through fiat on-ramp platform MoonPay, per reports.

BAYC #1837 Traded Between Two CEOs

According to a tweet posted on Friday (February 25, 2022), Bored Ape #1837 has been bought for 569 Ether (ETH). The ape NFT is one of the rarest pieces based on traits from the 10,000 strong Bored Ape Yacht club (BAYC) collection. 

In addition, the hefty 569 ETH price tag makes Ape #1837 one of the most expensive BAYC NFTs sold to date. At current market prices, 569 ETH is worth an estimated $1,552,533.

Chief Executive Officer of blockchain-powered tech firm Chain, Deepak Thapliyal, confirmed the sale on social media platform Twitter. Chain builds cryptographic ledgers that offer easy-to-use decentralized solutions for disruptive financial products and services. Also, the company has raised over $40 million in funding since launching in 2014.

The CEO who is known on Twitter as Deepak.eth also revealed that the buyer leveraged payment portal MoonPay to purchase the ape NFT. MoonPay is a fiat on-ramp service that allows users to buy cryptocurrencies using their credit cards, bank accounts or Apple Pay.

Although no official confirmation has surfaced as of the time of writing this report, Deepak’s tweet hinted that the new ape owner might be Telsa boss Elon Musk. The news comes shortly after Musk was reportedly seen meeting with MoonPay representatives.

Despite a supposed crypto-friendly stance from Musk, it remains unclear how the SpaceX founder views NFTs. Musk has previously called out Twitter for not addressing multiple spammy and misleading content posted under NFT-related tweets. 

crypto.news also previously reported that the Tesla boss called out Twitter’s management for wasting engineering resources. Elon tweeted his concerns after the social media giant announced a new NFT profile photo integration feature.

Celebrities Leverage MoonPay for NFT Purchases

Indeed, MoonPay has established itself as the go-to platform for mainstream a-listers considering NFT acquisitions, and crypto purchases. The payment portal recently launched a ‘concierge service’ for celebrities. 

Popular television host and comedian Jimmy Fallon bought Bored Ape #599 via MoonPay back in November 2021, per reports. Fallon revealed the news during an interview with digital artist Beeple.

Transaction history from NFT marketplace OpenSea also suggests that the rapper Lil Baby used the company’s concierge service to acquire Bored Ape #129. Also, a spokesperson from MoonPay confirmed that Post Malone has previously used the service to buy a few NFTs and some cryptocurrencies.

In the event that Elon Musk confirms the purchase, the billionaire will join a growing list of high profile Bored Ape holders. Earlier in January 2022, grammy award-winning singer Justin Beiber also bought BAYC #3001 for a staggering $1.29 million.