Why Katowice 2014 stickers are so incredibly expensive in CSGO

Clean design, extreme rarity, and tons of hype are why Katowice 2014 stickers are so expensive in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

CSGO skins are known to fetch ridiculous prices, but stickers tend to be much less expensive. There are a few pricy stickers like the Crown Foil and Howling Dawn, but Katowice 2014 team stickers are the very peak of rare slaps. The cheapest start at over $1,000 and skyrocket up from there. Here’s why the old stickers demand such an insane price.

Katowice 2014 stickers come from two capsules released for ESL Katowice 2014. This was the second major in CSGO history with a prize pool of $250,000. At the time, the Katowice 2014 Challengers and Legends were just the third and fourth sticker capsules added to CSGO. It was the first time CSGO’s cosmetics acknowledged the competitive scene. To this day, each CSGO esports major brings a new set of team stickers.

While most tournament stickers sell for just a few bucks on Steam, Katowice 2014 ones are almost exclusively traded privately. Only the very cheapest ones are ever available on the Steam Marketplace. According to sales aggregate Cantry.dev, the most expensive Katowice 2014 stickers have recently sold for these prices. 

• Titan (Holo) – $72,756
• iBUYPOWER (Holo) – $58,793
• Reason Gaming (Holo) – $43,931
• Team LDLC.com (Holo) – $24,252

Age and simplicity are why Katowice 2014 stickers are so expensive

There are three majors reason why Katowice 2014 stickers are so expensive. It comes down to their minimalist design, extreme rarity, and nostalgia factor.

The vast majority of CSGO major stickers feature elaborate designs or logo splashes. Compare the sleek and simple look to the more decorative design of the London 2018 stickers. More recent major stickers have even taken design notes from the legendary slaps. The Antwerp Major stickers feature a simple type line directly below the team logo with a transparent background. 

The second factor is rarity. CSGO as a spectator sport wasn’t nearly as popular as it is today. The demand for these stickers simply wasn’t very high at the time.

CSGO was also still pay-to-play, so fewer people overall had access to buying the stickers. For most of 2014, the game had less than 100,000 average players. Very few people bought the capsules, and the available supply has dwindled thanks to players slapping them on guns. Cantry.dev estimates that there are only 38 Titan Holo stickers remaining on the market.

Lastly, Katowice 2014 stickers are expensive because they’re the ultimate flex. These stickers are exclusively traded by extremely invested CSGO traders. Big skin collectors have also likely played CSGO for a very long time, so seeing really old stickers can bring them a sense of nostalgia. There’s no better way to impress your friends or blast back to the past than old team stickers. All these factors are why Katowice 2014 stickers are so expensive in CSGO.