5 of the most expensive CS:GO skins right now

Skins are a vital part of CS:GO, but which ones are the most expensive out of the bunch? Let’s take a deeper look into the most expensive ones out there.

Some might even claim that a skin helps them perform; whilst that wild claim is somewhat debatable, it sure does make you look cool. Many people would say that is just as important as getting kills. At the end of the day everyone can agree that looking good and simultaneously kicking ass on the CS:GO server is a match made in heaven.

A few clarifications before diving into this top five: The price of a skin varies depending on some factors. Is it a skin in souvenir condition, or does it possess StatTrak™? Also the condition of the skin, with Factory New and Battle-Scarred at the extremes. The prices quoted in this article are the most recent available on various skin trading sites as of 18/02/21. Stickers are not looked at in this ranking, just the skin price on its own. Finally, only weapon skins are considered. (Pictures used in this ranking aren’t always 100% accurate and show variants).

Souvenir Dragon Lore, Factory New – $26,000

Undoubtedly the most expensive, and most famous of them all. The Souvenir Dragon Lore AWP in Factory New condition. At the time of writing this beautiful skin will run you a pretty penny: $26,000. An absolutely insane amount of money for just one skin. Keep in mind that the odds of this skin dropping are astronomically low. They clock in at around 0.0004% or 1 in 250,000. This makes it no surprise that the skin is so highly valued.

StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Crimson Web, Factory New – $9300

Next in the list is the beautiful M9 Bayonet, with its vicious Crimson Web colouring and as expected, with StatTrak™ and pristine status. It was released on August 14, 2013 along with the Arms Deal update. The skin design was a hit from the start and its impressive red colour along with enticing pattern swiftly turned it into the knife skin to have. Now 8 years later it has only been rising in value and clocks in at $9300 – a price achieved due to an exceptional combination of rarity and age.

StatTrak™ Karambit Crimson Web, Factory New – $9000

Released in the same batch as the M9 Bayonet on number two, the Karambit with the same beautiful Crimson Web skin is chasing the tail of its bigger brother. It has a far more outlandish appearance, with a curved blade. Regardless, it is nearly equally desired, not being as rigid in looks as some might consider the M9 Bayonet to be. Price-wise it comes very close, with recent listings going for roughly $9000. It lands a little under the M9. The same reasons for the price apply, once again rarity plus age.

StatTrak™ AK-47 Fire Serpent, Factory New – $8255

This skin definitely is not as flashy as people might be used to nowadays, but that does not change its scarceness. This skin comes from a case that was quite limited at the time due to it being expensive. On top of that it is a Covert item, which was also quite rare as a drop. Alongside that add the fact that by now the case is from an operation that is 8 years old. All these things lead to an impressive $8255 price tag, by rough estimates.

StatTrak™ M4A4 Howl, Factory New – $8000

This ferocious M4A4 skin has a neat history behind it. Its appearance actually changed after a scandal surrounding the skin design. A user that wanted to jump on the hype train when skins were completely new to the CS:GO scene committed art theft. The design was wildly successful, but the original artist eventually found out and submitted a copyright notice. The skin was replaced by a design from the CS:GO team, but players obviously held on to their skin. This rich history has lead to the skin being worth the impressive $8000. Recently, a variant with 4 iBUYPOWER stickers Katowice stickers was even sold for a whopping $130,000.

An honourable mention also goes out to the recent sale of a StatTrak™ Case Hardened AK-47 with 4 Titan Katowice 2014 stickers. This sold for a record-breaking $150,000. With the Case Hardened variants the pattern on it can really vary wildly, and in rare situations can deliver some beautiful results. Pair that up with the stickers and it leads to such an amount.

These are the most expensive skins. It might be worth trying your luck if you still have some ancient crates lying around. Maybe you will strike gold and get that Dragon Lore AWP. But the odds are incredibly slim. Best of luck with building up an impressive skin collection and looking your best whilst getting those frags.

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Image Credit: Valve / CS:GO / Reddit
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