Community price on backpack.tf: 15.0–19.0 keys, last changed 2026-05-02 (5mo ago). The live quote above, 16.6 keys, is inside the community’s range and last moved 14d ago. They are different measures: the quote is what traders and bots are asking and bidding on the classifieds right now, and it moves for thousands of items every day; the community price is a suggestion accepted by vote, which changes only when someone argues it should. A quote well away from the vote is usually a price that is about to be re-argued. Community prices from backpack.tf, read under an hour ago.
Steam Market asking price: $52.11 — the lowest of one listing for the Bubbling effect when we looked on 2026-10-13 01:36 UTC (6h ago). This is what a seller is asking, not what anything sold for. Steam pays out in Steam wallet funds, not cash, and Valve takes roughly 15% at the till — so asking prices there run well above the 16 keys, 39 ref shown above, which comes from the keys-and-metal market on backpack.tf. The two are different markets and are never blended. Steam lists the item as “Unusual Cotton Head”, with no effect in the name — the effect comes from the individual listing.
Price history
84 observations
Interactive chart. Press the left and right arrow keys to move along the series, Home or End to jump to either end, Escape to clear.
The key axis converts at today's rate. Prices are recorded in metal, so a line that is flat in keys followed the key rate rather than standing still.
Bubbling Cotton Head sell price, 2025-09-25 to 2026-10-10: 84 observations, from 18.0 keys to 12.8 keys. Sampled evenly across the range.
Observed (UTC)
Sell
Buy
25 SEP 2025 · 03:29 UTC
18.0 keys
14.7 keys
9 OCT 2025 · 08:43 UTC
17.2 keys
15.5 keys
25 OCT 2025 · 16:51 UTC
15.6 keys
14.0 keys
8 DEC 2025 · 02:47 UTC
20.6 keys
10.1 keys
16 MAR 2026 · 12:07 UTC
18.5 keys
11.3 keys
1 JUN 2026 · 00:30 UTC
13.8 keys
11.6 keys
15 JUN 2026 · 00:31 UTC
14.1 keys
10.9 keys
29 JUN 2026 · 01:14 UTC
12.5 keys
10.8 keys
12 JUL 2026 · 04:44 UTC
11.5 keys
10.0 keys
29 JUL 2026 · 02:45 UTC
15.7 keys
13.7 keys
10 AUG 2026 · 01:11 UTC
16.3 keys
14.2 keys
21 AUG 2026 · 12:08 UTC
14.1 keys
12.3 keys
23 AUG 2026 · 00:08 UTC
16.1 keys
14.0 keys
24 AUG 2026 · 18:09 UTC
13.0 keys
11.3 keys
26 AUG 2026 · 12:09 UTC
13.8 keys
12.0 keys
29 AUG 2026 · 04:09 UTC
13.5 keys
11.7 keys
30 AUG 2026 · 04:09 UTC
13.9 keys
12.1 keys
30 AUG 2026 · 12:08 UTC
15.8 keys
13.8 keys
2 SEP 2026 · 06:08 UTC
13.5 keys
11.7 keys
4 SEP 2026 · 18:08 UTC
13.8 keys
12.0 keys
8 SEP 2026 · 12:07 UTC
14.0 keys
12.2 keys
10 SEP 2026 · 10:10 UTC
15.7 keys
13.7 keys
10 SEP 2026 · 18:09 UTC
15.9 keys
13.8 keys
11 SEP 2026 · 00:08 UTC
15.8 keys
13.7 keys
12 SEP 2026 · 00:09 UTC
16.5 keys
14.3 keys
13 SEP 2026 · 18:08 UTC
14.2 keys
12.3 keys
15 SEP 2026 · 00:08 UTC
14.0 keys
12.2 keys
17 SEP 2026 · 02:08 UTC
14.6 keys
12.7 keys
23 SEP 2026 · 08:10 UTC
14.2 keys
12.3 keys
25 SEP 2026 · 00:08 UTC
15.1 keys
13.2 keys
26 SEP 2026 · 00:08 UTC
16.3 keys
14.2 keys
27 SEP 2026 · 04:08 UTC
15.6 keys
13.6 keys
27 SEP 2026 · 20:09 UTC
16.2 keys
14.1 keys
29 SEP 2026 · 02:08 UTC
16.6 keys
14.4 keys
7 OCT 2026 · 03:09 UTC
13.5 keys
11.8 keys
8 OCT 2026 · 05:10 UTC
13.7 keys
11.9 keys
8 OCT 2026 · 13:08 UTC
13.8 keys
12.0 keys
8 OCT 2026 · 17:10 UTC
13.7 keys
11.9 keys
9 OCT 2026 · 01:09 UTC
13.8 keys
12.0 keys
10 OCT 2026 · 19:10 UTC
12.8 keys
11.2 keys
Price history in numbers
84 readings since 25 Sep 2025
Over the last 30 days the Bubbling Cotton Head's sell price ranged from 12.8 keys to 16.6 keys and is down 9.5% after 30 moves. Over a year it ranged from 11.5 keys to 20.6 keys (down 21.5%). Today's 12.8 keys sits in the lower third of its range: the lowest we have recorded is 11.5 keys (12 Jul 2026) and the highest 20.6 keys (8 Dec 2025). The price has moved 83 times since we began recording it — about once every 5 days.