The internet has always been shaped by names. Before social platforms, before mobile apps, and long before the blockchain revolution, domain names were the earliest digital real estate. They were more than just web addresses, they were identity, trust, and brand power rolled into a single word.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, fortunes were made and lost on domain speculation. The right name at the right time could change a company’s destiny. That story isn’t confined to the dot-com boom; it continues today, in the age of blockchain domains and Web3. With the launch of .web3, we may be witnessing the next great chapter in this ongoing narrative.
This blog looks back at Top domain purchases in history, unpacks what they teach us, and explains why the lessons matter today for investors, projects, and communities eyeing the future of digital identity.
Looking for the Top 10 Crypto Domain Name Providers for All Blockchains? Click here to learn more.
The Golden Age of .com Domains
The earliest big-money domain sales cemented the idea that names carry massive value.
- Voice.com ($30 million, 2019): MicroStrategy sold this single domain to Block.one for one of the highest publicly reported cash domain purchases in history. Why so much? Because “voice” is simple, universal, and brand-ready.
- Fund.com ($9.99 million, 2008): A reminder that finance-related names carry enduring value. At the height of financial services competition online, this domain became an asset in itself, showing how clarity and authority drive price.
- Business.com ($7.5 million, 1999): Sold to eCompanies, this name symbolized the gold rush mentality of the dot-com era.
- 360.com : $17 million (2015): Bought by Chinese tech giant Qihoo, this short numeric name shows how simplicity resonates across languages and markets.
- LasVegas.com : $90 million lease (2005 deal): A long-term structured deal that remains one of the largest transactions in domain history. The name alone became a monopoly on the city’s digital identity.
These domains became not just websites but global brands. Their value wasn’t speculative, it was tied to cultural weight, market relevance, and the authority of simplicity.
Blockchain Domains: A New Asset Class
Fast forward to Web3, and we see a new kind of landrush: blockchain domains. Instead of hosting websites in traditional DNS systems, these domains live onchain, representing identity, payments, and access.
- Paradigm.eth 420 ETH(~$1.5M, 2021): One of the most expensive ENS (.eth) namesever sold. Paradigm, a leading crypto VC, secured its identity in Ethereum’s naming system at a premium price.
- beer.eth acquired by Budweiser (2021): A mainstream brand signaling belief in blockchain identity.
- puma.eth used by Puma: A global sportswear company aligning its brand with Web3 culture.
- The 999 Club (ENS): A wave of collectors drove demand for three-digit .eth names, treating them like digital status symbols.
The pattern is familiar: early adopters secure scarce, memorable names. As adoption grows, latecomers are forced to pay exponentially more.
Wondering how to buy Crypto Domains? Here is an Easy Step by Step Guide for beginners.
What History Teaches Us
Looking across both eras, three insights stand out:
- Scarcity + Cultural Timing = Value
When a name intersects with culture at the right moment, it commands value. Think Voice.com in the dot-com era, or beer.eth in Web3. - Brands Legitimize Markets
When Budweiser and Puma adopted .eth names, they did what big .com buyers did in the 90s, signal that the market is credible. - Every Cycle Expands Identity
.com gave businesses their first digital addresses. .eth gave wallets and individuals cultural clout. The next cycle will expand identity across chains, wallets, apps, and even AI agents.
.web3: The Next Chapter in the Story
Just as .com defined business identity on the early internet, and .eth gave wallets cultural clout in the crypto-native world, .web3 is positioned to give the decentralized internet its defining name.
It isn’t just another extension, it is the natural continuation of a pattern we’ve seen time and again: when the right name meets the right cultural moment, it anchors an entire era.
Domain Investors and the Web3 Frontier
For traditional domain investors and brokers, .web3 offers familiar opportunities in a new wrapper. Just like early investors in .com bet on the internet itself, today’s investors can bet on Web3 adoption.
- Premium categories: gaming.web3, social.web3, climate.web3 these are today’s “hotels.com” equivalents.
- Resale potential: As projects, wallets, and exchanges scale, they’ll pay for clean, authoritative names.
- Portfolio diversification: Adding blockchain TLDs hedges against saturation in legacy DNS.
The domain market has always been about vision and timing. Right now, .web3 is where vision meets opportunity.
Lessons for Projects and Communities
It’s not just about speculation. For projects, tokens, and wallets:
- A .web3 name signals alignment with the Web3 ethos.
- It provides a permanent anchor for branding and community presence.
- Early adoption lets projects own category-defining terms before competitors.
Imagine a health startup securing health.web3, or a creator platform building on creator.web3. These names will not only hold value but also serve as powerful signals of leadership in their fields.
Conclusion: Top Domain Purchases in History
In every cycle, the winners were those who saw the value of names before anyone else did. The dot-com pioneers who registered simple words for a few dollars, the ENS collectors who turned wallet addresses into cultural signals – all became part of internet history.
Tomorrow, it may be those who claimed `.web3`. Not just as domains, but as pieces of digital heritage anchoring the decentralized era. The question is: who will recognize that moment before the rest of the world catches on?
