AK-47 CSGO skin & knife sell for $500,000 as Counter-Strike skins explode in price

The most expensive gun skin in CS:GO has sold for just shy of half a million dollars. The famous AK-47 Case Hardened skin, with four Titan Holos from Katowice 2014 is believed to be the most expensive skin in the game, excluding knives.

With Counter-Strike 2 on the horizon, the CS:GO skin market has been exploding, with investors and collectors willing to pay higher and higher prices for the rarest and most desirable items.

In March, another AK-47 skin sold for $160,000, at the time the most expensive sale conducted publicly. But, only a month later, another AK skin has sold, this time for around $400,000.

The skin, a Tier 1 Case Hardened ‘Blue Gem’ (meaning it has the most blue pattern possible), was put up for sale by the previous owner in November 2022, meaning it has taken less than six months to find a buyer.

Case Hardened 661 AK-47 sells for $400,000

CS:GO trader and streamer zipeL acted as a middleman for the sale, arranging the buyer from Luksusbums, the now-former owner.

The sale also included a knife, a Karambit Case Hardened ‘Blue Gem’, worth approximately $100,000. This knife is the same as the famous $1.5 million Karambit (the most expensive CS:GO skin), except it is in Well Worn, rather than Factory New condition, hence the price difference.

zipeL added, “to all those nerds that said come back to me when the AK sells for 400k you are delusional zipel, hello b***ches” – indicating they reached the desired figure.

Why is this CSGO skin worth $400,000?

Why this skin is so expensive comes down to a number of factors. Most ‘Case Hardened’ AK-47 skins will sell for only a few hundred dollars, there are a few characteristics that make this one unique.

Firstly, it features pattern number 661, which is considered the best pattern for the skin, as it features the most ‘blue’ coloring. It is also the best condition version of the 661 in existence, StatTrak Minimal Wear. A StatTrak Factory New version does not exist – yet.

This is officially the most expensive AK-47 skin in Counter-Strike.

But, what takes this AK from a $150,000 skin to a $400,000 skin, are the stickers applied. There are four Katowice 2014 Titan Holo stickers on the weapon, each worth approximately $60,000 today. They are most expensive stickers in all of Counter-Strike.

The new owner, as is common for such high-tier items, is a Chinese collector. This collector also owns a Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore, worth over $100,000.

They will be hoping that the imminent arrival of Counter-Strike 2 continues to bolster skin prices. If it does, who knows what the value of these items could reach over time.