The best expensive item in Counter-Strike - Karambit CH #387
Topic: Karambit Case Hardened #387 - CS's most expensive item
What would you choose: a $1.5 million sea-facing house or an in-game skin? Well, the Karambit Case Hardened FN #387 (0.048) is rumored to be valued around that amount.
Now, a common question arises: "What makes these specific skins more expensive and rare than others?". CSGO skins have a market cap of over a billion dollars, which makes it possible for a Karambit to receive offers in the millions.
Karambit Case Hardened #387 Story
Counter-Strike offers a variety of limited supply skins that come in specific cases or crates. If you unbox a skin in a lower condition, such as Factory New, it becomes more desirable and popular among the player base and community. The skin's value furthermore increases due to special features like StatTrak or rare stickers. Skins associated with famous players or tournaments, known as Souvenir skins, are often discontinued and can no longer be obtained by opening cases.
Enough introduction, it's time to get to today's topic: The legendary Karambit Case Hardened #387 in Factory New. In other words, the most expensive item in Counter Strike. That exact Karambit is an extremely rare skin and only exists once. Including all conditions nine of them have been unboxed (12 if we include the duplicated ones). The infamous FN #387 was unboxed just two months after CS:GO skins were released, around September 2013, by a unboxer known as 2sh0ts.
It is not only the most expensive CS:GO skin but also one of the most expensive virtual in-game items to date. The skin is fully blue with no dark spots on the play side, as you can see in the picture. People refer to it as the "Ocean Blue" and only one copy exists in Factory New condition, making it truly unique.
Offers and collectors
The current owner, "Noobrage" (also known as Newbrage), rejected a $1.5 million offer for his Karambit, deeming it "too low" to consider. Rumors suggest that an offer of around $2 million was made and also got rejected by the owner.
If Noobrage (青い王) ever decides to sell his knife, it is difficult to determine the exact price it would fetch. However, considering the high demand and rarity of the Karambit, it is likely to sell for record sums. In mid-June 2023, a duped Well Worn Kara #387 was sold for $118,000, with the transaction facilitated by "@MitaoCatCS" acting as a middleman.
The recent Karambit #387 unbox
Recently, a player named "yurr69," an 18-year-old former Valorant player tried playing CSGO and unboxed around 200 cases. With a total playtime of 30 hours, he unboxed a Field-Tested (0.325) Karambit Case Hardened #387 on July 2, 2023 and decided to sell it for $169,000 to a Chinese collector.
Conclusion
The Karambit Case Hardened #387 is one of the rarest and most expensive in-game items available. While unboxings like the recent one mentioned above can be life-changing, it's important not to be deceived into thinking that it's a common occurrence when opening Counter-Strike cases. The majority of people actually lose money, and it is crucial to exercise caution when opening cases and capsules and to seek help if you notice signs of addictive behavior.
