In this lesson
- go through the whole price history of SOL in real data
- see how big the drops were and what triggered them
- find out why you look at charts with big moves on a logarithmic scale
Whoever bought SOL in August 2020 for under 3 dollars and sold at the top got rich. Whoever bought at the top in November 2021 lost 97% a year later. Same token, just different dates on the axis. The history of SOL is a textbook of volatility – and humility.
Six years in one chart#
- SOL (USD)
- Logarithmic axis: equal distance = equal percentage change
The chapters#
| Period | What happened | Price (daily extremes) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020–2021 | exchange listing and a huge bull market | from 1.03 USD (Dec 2020) to 259.90 USD |
| Nov 2021–2022 | bear market, the FTX collapse | a 97% fall to 8 USD |
| 2023–2024 | comeback, memecoins, record network activity | from 8 USD to 264 USD |
| January 2025 | the TRUMP token frenzy | a record 295.83 USD (19 Jan) |
| 2025–2026 | the market cooled; first US spot SOL ETFs from October 2025 | an 80% fall to 60.13 USD |
End of September 2026: 118 USD.
What follows from it#
- Drops of 80–97% are not an exception but a pattern. SOL went through them twice in six years. Many tokens from 2021, though, never recovered from a similar fall – SOL's survival is no rule for others.
- Good news does not guarantee a rise. The ETF launch in October 2025 was a big event – and SOL then fell to a third.
- The purchase date matters more than people admit. Whoever bought at 260 USD in November 2021 was still at a loss in September 2026 – five years later.
- The logarithmic scale. On an ordinary chart a rise from 3 to 30 USD would look like a flat line and a fall from 260 to 130 like a disaster. Yet the first is +900% and the second −50%.
The past need not repeat
The fact that SOL has come back from deep drops before does not mean it will again. History shows how big the moves can be – not where the price will go.
Common myths#
- "SOL always comes back." So far it has. That describes the past, not a guarantee.
- "After an 80% fall it cannot fall further." In 2022 it fell 97% – from any price it can fall another 50%.
- "ETF = a rise." After the ETF launch SOL fell to a third.
Summary
- SOL rose from under 3 USD to 260, fell 97% to 8 USD, returned to a record 295.83 and fell 80% again.
- Drops of 80% or more are a repeated experience for SOL, not an exception.
- Neither good news (ETFs) nor famous names (TRUMP) guarantee a rise.
- Read charts with big moves on a logarithmic scale.