CSGO noob unboxes $200k “blue gem” knife after just starting the game
ohnepixel/CS:GOA new CSGO player decided to open some cases after just getting into the game, only to unbox a Karambit Case Hardened blue gem knife worth upwards of $200k.
CSGO skins have gotten extremely expensive over the past few years. While it’s possible to get some cool skins on the cheap side, there are skins that are coveted by collectors and heavily valued, leading to a number of players gambling on and with some of the most expensive skins – something Valve doesn’t like.
That said, knives are the cream of the crop. Even bad knives are worth 60-70 dollars, and good ones are worth thousands. However, the blue gem Karambit Case Hardened is on a whole different level. Even “bad” case-hardened knives are worth almost $1000.
But, for those lucky enough to get one of 1000 patterns for their Karambit Case Hardened, a knife that’s already extremely rare, there’s a fortune to be had. And one 18-year-old player with only 34 hours in CSGO unboxed one of (possibly) 12 knives in existence with this extremely rare pattern.
New CSGO player gets Karambit Case Hardened blue gem knife
When it comes to CSGO skins, there are a few major factors that determine a skin’s worth, the least of which is its rarity. Once you get past the extremely common skins, anything that’s Purple and above can be worth some serious cash depending on how the skin looks and the community sentiment around it.
For instance, a skin’s float number indicates the quality of the skin from a shiny Factory New skin all the way down to Battle Scarred. Ideally, players want the lowest float number possible to get a Factory New, with a few rare cases of high-float Battle Scarred skins being just as valuable.
Additionally, with pattern-based skins, players can get one of 1000 possible patterns that determine how the skin’s map wraps around an item and alters its appearance.
In the case of the Karambit Case Hardened, the 387 pattern is considered the “blue gem”, the most sought-after pattern that puts a ton of blue on the side of the knife players see when wielding it. Regardless of the skin’s condition, that pattern makes it worth thousands.
And an 18-year-old player who’s new to Counter Strike so happened to get one of few Karambit Case Hardened 387 blue gem knives in CSGO. Even with it being Field Tested and not Factory New, this knife could end up being worth upwards of $200k.
ohnepixel, a CSGO skin expert and streamer, called the person who obtained this knife only to learn they were an extremely new player. While 34 hours of playtime may sound like a lot, it’s not much in comparison to the thousands of hours players have put into the game over the past 10 years.
ohne advised the 18-year-old on how much he could sell the skin for, saying that an offer he received for $150k was too low and that he should really push to get value out of the knife if he can.
A Karambit Case Hardened blue gem in slightly worse condition sold for $118k, but, considering it was a duplicated skin (something that was possible in CSGO’s earlier days), it’s worth much less. $200k is a speculative price considering how rare these knives are and how little sales there are to pull a number from, but it’s not an unrealistic price whatsoever.
If this young player’s knife was Factory New instead of Field Tested, he could be a millionaire. While it’s unfortunate that he didn’t win as big as he could have, it’s still one of the most expensive skins you can possibly get.
Lucky unboxings within CSGO usually net players hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars. However, thanks to a one-in-a-million roll on a knife, this young player has essentially won the lottery.
