Zombie CryptoPunk #3609 sells for $875,000 on GONDI
The rare Punk changed hands while carrying a 365,000 USDC loan, which was settled in the same transaction
A Zombie CryptoPunk just sold for 875,000 USDC. In a market that spent years being declared dead, a literal zombie is now the one posting big numbers.
CryptoPunk #3609 changed hands on October 1, 2026, through GONDI, an NFT liquidity protocol. It is the biggest Punk sale since Ape Punk #1021 went for $2.58 million in August 2025.
A sale with a loan attached
When the sale went through, #3609 was not sitting idle in a wallet. It was posted as collateral against an active loan of 365,000 USDC.
Think of it like selling a house that still has a mortgage. GONDI’s buy and sell features collapse those steps into one transaction, repaying the outstanding loan automatically as the NFT changes owners.
That means the seller did not have to scramble for 365,000 USDC to unlock the Punk before listing it. The buyer’s payment covered the debt, and the remainder went to the seller.
For reference, GONDI’s lending records include an earlier example of a 300,000 USDC loan at 15% APR over 180 days.
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The Punk itself is a strong specimen. #3609 is one of only 88 Zombie variants in the 10,000-piece CryptoPunks collection. It also sports Earring and Do-rag traits.
How the price stacks up
The 875,000 USDC figure lands well below the $2.58 million that Ape Punk #1021 commanded in August 2025.
The more interesting comparison is with #3609’s own history. The Punk previously sold in May 2025 for 440 ETH, worth approximately $1.09 million at the time.
So in dollar terms, this sale came in under that earlier mark. The research behind the sale points to what it describes as an established “zombie premium” for these variants. With 88 Zombies in existence, any one of them coming to market is an event.
Background: Punks and the rise of NFT lending
GONDI has been building since 2023 with a pitch as a comprehensive liquidity protocol for NFTs. The platform reports more than 3,000 originated loans totaling $300 million in volume. It also reports $100 million in total value locked, meaning the assets currently deposited and working inside the protocol.
What this means
The comparison with the May 2025 sale is a useful reality check. Owning a rare NFT is not the same as owning an asset that only goes up. Holders who bought at the earlier price and sold now would have taken a loss in dollar terms, before even counting any interest paid on loans along the way.
A 15% APR loan on a volatile asset is a bet that the asset holds its value. Platforms like GONDI also concentrate a lot of value in smart contracts. With $100 million locked, the protocol’s security and reliability become central to the confidence of anyone using it.