Classic Knife Case Hardened: Blue Gem Seed Patterns
The Classic Knife is the rebirth of the default knife, which was available to both the CT & T side players in Counter-Strike 1.6. On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of Counter-Strike 2, Valve released the CS20 Case which has the Classic Knife as the special rare item, coming in 13 different finishes including the Case Hardened finish. It is a mid-tier knife that has been well received by the community, with a unique inspect animation, which was not present in the 1.6 version.
Although the price of the Classic Knife varies, with some finishes such as the Fade and Crimson Web commanding higher prices than others, the most expensive Classic Knife sold has been the #1 Blue Gem seed pattern of the Case Hardened finish.
Now you might be wondering what this Case Hardened pattern is and why it’s so valuable. To help you with this, we will take an in-depth look into this finish and discuss why some patterns are so highly regarded among members of the CS2 community. Also, we will go through some important points in the FAQ section of this article, and help you understand how you can get your hands on this coveted skin.
List Of Classic Knife Case Hardened Patterns By Tier
Want to purchase a Classic Knife Case Hardened or just looking to find out how much yours is worth? Before we delve deeper into the topic, we’ll start off by giving a brief introduction to the various patterns available for the Classic Knife Case Hardened. This will help you get a better understanding of what the patterns are on the basis of tiers, and which patterns are more valuable than others. Below, we have a comprehensive index of all patterns available for this skin:
| Group | Pattern Seeds |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 403, 58, 681, 169, 456, 601, 316, 577 |
| Tier 2 | 704, 449, 281, 585, 922, 634, 55, 210, 351 |
| Tier 3 | 837, 915, 880, 556, 628, 345, 850, 202, 583, 288, 668, 239, 447, 372, 67, 170, 336, 417, 349, 632, 496, 533, 107, 529, 887, 262, 503, 393, 162, 430, 269, 954, 383, 166, 797, 867, 180, 374, 157, 588, 537, 116, 916, 624, 715, 103, 187 |
| Tier 4 | 959, 523, 176, 812, 669, 88, 507, 525, 286, 429, 700, 179, 698, 442, 899, 222, 91, 818, 941, 613, 866, 675, 606, 108, 325, 750, 610, 828, 955, 519, 294, 516, 235, 794, 821, 227, 619, 151, 693, 710, 299, 600, 807, 387, 59, 869, 95, 719, 292, 400, 805, 203, 689, 995, 665, 14, 973, 298, 526, 547, 462, 84, 504, 551, 124, 859, 878, 646, 138, 806, 564, 680, 315, 872, 3, 528, 902, 790, 820, 546, 969, 740, 651, 212, 910 |
Tier 1 patterns have the highest degree of the blue tint on the play side, which gradually decreases as you move further down to Tier 2, and onwards. The #1 seed pattern for the Classic Knife Case Hardened is 403, which is a true Blue Gem. Tier 1 knives guarantee overpay, which diminishes on lower tiers and is more reflective of the normal price ranges for the finish, also, these finishes have more of a dull gold and gray hue on them instead of the prized blue.
What Is The Case Hardened Finish?
In 2013, Valve introduced the Arms Deal Collection with a number of weapon skins for the first time in Counter-Strike 2. One of the weapon finishes in this collection was the Case Hardened finish for the AK-47. From there, it was made available for other weapons such as the rare knives which dropped from cases.
The Case Hardened finish is basically a pattern of mottled colors with varying degrees of blue, purple, dull gold, and gray, on a color sheet where it is transferred on the weapon skin in a cookie cutter style. This method of transfer ensures that each skin has a unique texture pattern with a varying degree of colors that were mentioned. In total, there are 1000 different patterns for each Case Hardened skin.
Blue is the most highly regarded color and an increased level of blue on a Case Hardened Skin tends to raise its price. As the level of blue color decreases and is replaced by dull gold, the price of the weapon diminishes and moves closer to its market value. The wear condition for Case Hardened skins increases the brightness of colors on the weapon but does not add any wear and tear, as such, a Blue Gem knife can be found in any exterior.
What Is a Blue Gem Case Hardened Skin?
A type of Case Hardened skin with the majority of its playside surface area covered in the blue hue from the Case Hardened color sheet, is commonly referred to as a Blue gem skin by members of the CS2 community. Such a pattern is highly sought by collectors, is very rare to acquire either through the Steam Community Market, third-party marketplaces, or unboxing cases, and garners a substantial premium in overpay, which most times runs in the tens of thousands of dollars.
How Valuable Are These Blue Gem Skins?
Blue Gems are some of the rarest skin finishes in Counter-Strike 2, more so than even the Gamma Doppler Rubies, Emeralds, and Sapphires. According to estimates, it has been determined that unboxing the #1 Blue Gem of a skin can take up to around 3.7 million case openings. This fact alone makes them very valuable and accounts for the reason why they are so expensive.
The most expensive skin in the game is currently a Karambit Case Hardened with seed pattern #387 and Factory New condition, valued at 1.5 million dollars by a Chinese skin collector, who initially purchased it at USD 100k. Although the knife has not been bought from the collector yet, it remains only a matter of time till history is made.
However, it must be said that like everything in CS2, not every Blue Gem is the same either. A Blue gem for a Karambit or Butterfly Knife is going to be exponentially more expensive, even more so if it’s in Factory New or Minimal Wear condition than let’s say a Huntsman Knife Case Hardened Blue Gem. But even then, the price of even a Huntsman Blue Gem may be north of the USD 20k figure.
How Much Is a Blue Gem Classic Knife Worth?
Valuations for the Classic Knife Case Hardened Blue Gem with Tier 1 seed pattern #403 have varied with the wear condition. In 2022, the said knife in Minimal Wear condition sold for USD 20k. A Field-Tested version of the same seed pattern #403 for the Classic Knife Case Hardened Blue Gem was listed at USD 38k, while another Minimal Wear Blue Gem of the Classic Knife was listed for USD 62K on an online marketplace.
How Can I Get a Blue Gem?
There have been a few listings online on third-party marketplaces for a Classic Knife Case Hardened Blue Gem in the past, so keep an eye out there. SCM is not an option to consider if you are looking for Tier 1 patterns since their asking price is substantially greater than the market price of Tier 2 and 3 Case Hardened skins, and SCM only allows a limit of USD 2k for listings. Be sure to check the seed to determine which tier the pattern lies in, in order to have an accurate valuation of the price, and also inspect the skin in-game to take a look at the pattern.
The second option is to try your luck at case openings, specifically the CS20 Case, which is the only case with the Classic Knife as a rare drop item. Be forewarned that this method is a high-risk, high-reward gamble.
What Inspired a Design Such As The Case Hardened?
In the 18th century, gun manufacturers had to deal with the challenge of strengthening the steel used for their guns, as it would time and again fail under stressful conditions. This was due to the low amount of carbon found in the steel used for the guns. After some research, a new methodology of case hardening was developed and implemented. Animal hides and bones would be put together with the steel to be used in an airtight container, often made from ceramic, and heated in a furnace. As the bones and hides evaporated in the heat, the carbon would penetrate the surface of the steel. The steel was then put into a quenching bath which had air bubbles. As the steel cooled and became hardened, the bubbles would form various mottled patterns on the steel which are exactly those seen in all the Case Hardened finishes.
Classic Knife: Case Hardened
The Classic Knife has the Case Hardened pattern on the entire length of the blade, whereas the hand guard and the handle remain as per the default configuration. The knife is available in all float values, from Factory New (0.00) to Battle-Scarred condition (1.00). As per the norm, floats from 0.30 upwards noticeably start to darken the shade of colors of the knife, but do not affect anything else. To get your hands on one, click on the link below to check out the various market listings below:
Concluding Remarks
Blue Gem knives are highly sought by all members of the CS2 community, whether they are collectors, influencers, professional players, or just rich members of the community wanting to show off. Even among a small niche of these people, only a select few will ever be able to get their hands on one, which goes to show the rarity of these skins, and thus the huge premium that they generate. But if you are looking to add one to your collection, rest assured that anything from the Tier 1 or 2 patterns would be a sound investment, with its value increasing over time as well as giving you an opportunity to showcase its magnificence to those playing with or against you.
