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78 A major CS:GO skin trader says he has shepherded the sale of a single gun for a record price of over $400,000. The news comes amid a speculative boom in the price of all sorts of CS:GO items, following the news that those skins will be fully compatible with the recently announced Counter-Strike 2.Danish trader zipeL, who helps manage CS:Go market clearinghouse SkinBid, shared news of a $500,000+ transaction on Twitter earlier this week. While that transaction also included a rare (but "well-worn") Karambit #387 P1 knife, the highlight was a "#1 AK-47 661 ST MW with 4x Titan (Holo)." Seller (and SkinBids cofounder) Luksusbums said last year that he would "entertain offers above $400K" for that gun, a valuation that was apparently met with this sale.
While there are many sought-after skins in CS:GO, the "Seed 661" pattern seen on this AK-47 is "commonly considered the #1 pattern and... is known as the best 'scar pattern'" according to informational site CS Go Blue Gem. The pattern is particularly valued aesthetically for what the site calls "a clean and bright blue all the way through the back with a golden scar close to the rear sight."
But the pattern is also sought after because "there are only 121 such skins that the CS:GO community knows of," according to the CS.money blog. That makes it "the most rare" Hardened AK-47 pattern in the game, according to the blog, and thus a status symbol for players who want to show off to their opponents. This particular Seed 661 AK-47 is made even rarer by its nearly pristine condition of "StatTrak Minimal Wear."
I just completed the second largest trade in CS history! Sold these two on behalf of @Luksusbums
- #1 AK-47 661 ST MW with 4x Titan (Holo)
- Karambit #387 P1 in well-wornThe combined sale was +500,000$ pic.twitter.com/EbLyF2NaHq
— zipeL🇩🇰 (@zipelCS) April 16, 2023
This gun's sale value was also driven up further by the application of four "Titan Holo" stickers, which were part of a limited release surrounding the Valve-sponsored ESL Katowice 2014 esports tournament. The game's relatively small player base at that time means these stickers are in short supply today—esports site win.gg estimates that only 38 of the tournament's Titan Holo stickers were available as of last year. That helps explain why those stickers can routinely sell for over $60,000 on their own.
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Six-figure prices for CS:GO guns aren't unheard of; a nearly identical AK-47 sold for a reported $150,000 back in 2021, and another Case-Hardened AK-47 was part of a record $775,000 transaction reported in 2021, along with another highly sought-after gun.
But this latest reported record-breaker is part of a boom in CS:GO skin prices that has extended across the entire market. And that increase can be traced to last month's surprise announcement of Counter-Strike 2 and its interoperability with the existing CS:GO skin system.
"Bring your entire CS:GO inventory with you to Counter-Strike 2," Valve wrote on the game's announcement site. "Not only will you keep every item you’ve collected over the years, but they’ll all benefit from Source 2 lighting and materials."
That decision has driven many speculators to pay inflated prices for even relatively common in-game skins in hopes of reselling them for even more to new or returning players looking to show off for the sequel's upcoming wide launch. While the vast majority of common skins still sell for single-digit dollar-denominated prices, there's a whole range of semi-rare skins that can go for hundreds or even thousands of dollars these days.
Older skins that are no longer easily accessible to new players still seem to have the most cachet. But some in-game patches have been particularly susceptible to price spikes. That's because Counter-Strike 2 should make those cosmetics fully visible on the fully modeled arms and legs of the players using them rather than just being visible by other players.
Whether recently inflated CS:GO skin prices can stay this high in the long term will depend largely on how large (and fashion-conscious) the player base for Counter-Strike 2 becomes. We'll see how that shakes out when the free-to-play shooter launches beyond its limited test this summer.
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