Lists of the most expensive CS2 skins often mix three different things: real sales, offers that were turned down, and price-tracker estimates. This page keeps them apart. Each of the five entries below says whether money actually changed hands, when, and who reported it.
Sales vs estimates
Skins at this level are not sold on the Steam Community Market. They change hands in private deals, usually through a known middleman, and the price is whatever the buyer, seller or broker chooses to reveal. So:
- A reported sale means the trade happened and someone involved made the price public. The number cannot be checked independently.
- A sale with an undisclosed price means the trade is confirmed but the price is a range or a lower bound.
- An estimate is an offer, an asking price or a tracker's valuation. Nothing was paid.
The five records
| Skin | Status | Price | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| StatTrak AK-47 Case Hardened #661 (FN) | Sale, price undisclosed | Over $1M (reported) | June 2024 |
| Karambit Case Hardened #387 (FN) | Estimate, no recent sale | €1.2M offer refused | 2021 |
| AK-47 Case Hardened #661 (MW) | Reported sale | $400,000 | 2023 |
| AWP Dragon Lore, 4x iBUYPOWER Holo (FN) | Reported sale | $265,000 | June 2023 |
| Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore (FN) | Reported sale | Over $61,000 | Jan 2018 |
FN means Factory New and MW means Minimal Wear. All prices are in US dollars unless marked.
1. StatTrak AK-47 Case Hardened #661, Factory New
Confirmed sale, June 5, 2024. Price undisclosed, reported above $1 million. The first Factory New StatTrak version of the #661 pattern surfaced in January 2024, when it was estimated at around $1.5 million and listed with a buyout close to $2 million. It sold on June 5 through collectors Sam "roflm0nster" Alexander and Oliver "zipeL" Behrensdorff. Neither named the buyer or the price, but roflm0nster said $1 million offers had been rejected several times, and reports placed the final figure between $1 million and $1.5 million. That makes it the most expensive confirmed CS skin sale on record.
2. Karambit Case Hardened #387, Factory New
Estimate only. This "blue gem" Karambit was bought for just over $100,000 in 2016. In 2021 its owner turned down an offer of €1.2 million, roughly $1.5 million at the time. It may well be worth more than the AK-47 above, but until someone pays for it, that is an estimate, not a record.
3. AK-47 Case Hardened #661, Minimal Wear
Reported sale, 2023, $400,000. Before the StatTrak Factory New deal, the best-known #661 sale was zipeL's own Minimal Wear copy, which sold for $400,000 in 2023.
4. AWP Dragon Lore with four iBUYPOWER Holo stickers, Factory New
Reported sale, June 2023, $265,000. A Factory New AWP Dragon Lore with four iBUYPOWER (Holo) Katowice 2014 stickers sold from investor yuQ to Chinese collector Pink Sao Pig. The deal was made public by Jake Lucky. With a float of 0.00003238 it was reported as the fourth-cleanest Dragon Lore in existence. The Katowice 2014 stickers account for much of the value: at the time, WIN.gg put the four stickers alone at about $268,000 unapplied.
5. Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore, Factory New
Reported sale, January 2018, over $61,000. Souvenir Dragon Lores only come from Cobblestone Souvenir Packages, which dropped during Majors while Cobblestone was in the map pool. This one carried an autograph sticker from Tyler "Skadoodle" Latham, the MVP of the ELEAGUE Boston Major 2018. It sold the day after Cloud9 won that Major, for more than $61,000. Higher Souvenir Dragon Lore deals are rumored, but we could not find one with a documented price, so it stays at number five.
What drives these prices
- Pattern. On Case Hardened skins the pattern number sets how much of the metal turns blue. #661 on the AK-47 and #387 on the Karambit are among the bluest.
- Float and StatTrak. Lower wear and a StatTrak counter shrink the supply further. The 2024 AK-47 is the only known StatTrak Factory New #661.
- Stickers. Katowice 2014 stickers, especially Titan and iBUYPOWER holos, can be worth more than the gun they sit on.
- Closed supply. Souvenir Dragon Lores cannot drop any more because Cobblestone packages no longer drop.
The October 2025 crash
Prices for rare items are not fixed. On October 22, 2025 Valve extended the Trade Up Contract so that five Covert skins could be exchanged for a knife or gloves from one of their collections. Knives and gloves, which used to come almost only from cases at about 1 opening in 385, suddenly had a second source.
Knife and glove prices dropped sharply within hours, while cheap Covert skins jumped in value. Esports News UK, citing PriceEmpire, reported total market value falling from a peak of about $6.06 billion to about $4.13 billion. Other trackers measured the drop differently, so treat any single figure as approximate. The lesson is the same either way: one Valve update can move prices across the market overnight.
The record items above sit in a different market from everyday knives, but they are not immune. Any price you see quoted from before October 2025 should be checked against current trades.
Before you buy a rare skin
- Check the exact item. Use the inspect link to confirm pattern, float and stickers. Screenshots are easy to fake.
- Mind trade protection. Since July 2025, the sender of a trade can reverse it within seven days. A high-value trade is not final until that window closes.
- Use a known middleman for private deals, and never move first on a large trade with a stranger.
- Know the fees. If you sell on Steam, our Steam Market fees guide shows what you keep.
If you are starting smaller, our guide to getting CS2 cases covers drops, keys and the published odds.