The number of official skins for CS:GO has now exceeded a thousand, and their prices can vary widely—from a few tens of rubles to tens of thousands. One of the most expensive skins in the game is the AWP Dragon Lore. There are few copies of it, and the price of a 'Factory New' variant can reach $10,000. Souvenir versions are even more expensive—with known cases of sales for $50,000 and more. The AWP Dragon Lore was also featured in a recent high-profile trade where a streamer purchased a car, paying for it with skins.
But why is the price of this particular CS:GO skin so high, turning it into a unique phenomenon? Naturally, it’s not just its remarkable design. There are two main factors affecting the price of any skin — rarity and quality.
In the past, the Dragon Lore dropped during some operations, including Breakout and Hydra. The souvenir version of the skin could be obtained from souvenir packages that dropped during major tournaments. However, now there is no way to get the AWP Dragon Lore in the game — only to purchase it on the Steam Marketplace or through third-party platforms.
This is because this skin was part of the Cobblestone Collection, and the Cobblestone map was removed from the active map pool in mid-2019. Although souvenir Cobblestone sets can still be found on the market, the chance that one contains a Dragon Lore is negligible. Thus, the only situation in which the price of this rare skin might go down is if Valve suddenly decides to return the mentioned map to the list of active ones.
As a result, another factor has come to influence the price of the AWP Dragon Lore: it is being purchased as an investment rather than for use in the game. Although initially, many players sought to get this skin because they liked its design, now its purchase is considered an investment of funds. As a result, its price has risen by 500% over the last five years.
Similar factors affect the price of other top skins for CS:GO. It should be noted that they do not act independently but in combination: for example, we have previously written about how the rarest skins are not necessarily the most expensive — to see the price rise, there needs to be sufficient demand. Whether you plan to buy skins as an investment or simply want to diversify your gameplay and enrich your weapon collection with notable finishes, at Lis-Skins you will find advantageous offers at prices lower than other platforms.