Community price on backpack.tf: 150 keys, last changed 2024-01-18 (2.7y ago). The live quote above, 165 keys, is 10% higher and last moved 12d 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: $575.00 — the lowest of one listing for the Purple Energy effect when we looked on 2026-10-13 01:29 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 165 keys, 13.44 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 Mean Captain”, with no effect in the name — the effect comes from the individual listing.
Price history
90 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.
Purple Energy Mean Captain sell price, 2025-09-25 to 2026-10-12: 90 observations, from 154 keys to 170 keys. Sampled evenly across the range.
Observed (UTC)
Sell
Buy
25 SEP 2025 · 03:29 UTC
154 keys
126 keys
9 OCT 2025 · 10:29 UTC
147 keys
132 keys
10 NOV 2025 · 02:33 UTC
152 keys
137 keys
16 DEC 2025 · 14:56 UTC
212 keys
166 keys
19 FEB 2026 · 18:42 UTC
181 keys
134 keys
29 JUN 2026 · 01:14 UTC
174 keys
151 keys
19 JUL 2026 · 22:44 UTC
178 keys
155 keys
3 AUG 2026 · 00:24 UTC
191 keys
166 keys
21 AUG 2026 · 10:09 UTC
116 keys
101 keys
30 AUG 2026 · 20:10 UTC
166 keys
144 keys
31 AUG 2026 · 20:11 UTC
164 keys
143 keys
1 SEP 2026 · 20:08 UTC
163 keys
142 keys
2 SEP 2026 · 20:09 UTC
162 keys
141 keys
5 SEP 2026 · 00:08 UTC
161 keys
140 keys
8 SEP 2026 · 04:09 UTC
162 keys
141 keys
11 SEP 2026 · 10:08 UTC
162 keys
141 keys
13 SEP 2026 · 08:09 UTC
163 keys
142 keys
14 SEP 2026 · 10:08 UTC
164 keys
143 keys
15 SEP 2026 · 10:08 UTC
164 keys
143 keys
17 SEP 2026 · 12:08 UTC
166 keys
145 keys
20 SEP 2026 · 16:10 UTC
166 keys
144 keys
21 SEP 2026 · 16:10 UTC
167 keys
145 keys
22 SEP 2026 · 16:09 UTC
166 keys
145 keys
23 SEP 2026 · 16:08 UTC
167 keys
145 keys
25 SEP 2026 · 04:08 UTC
168 keys
146 keys
26 SEP 2026 · 04:09 UTC
170 keys
147 keys
27 SEP 2026 · 06:09 UTC
171 keys
149 keys
28 SEP 2026 · 18:08 UTC
171 keys
148 keys
29 SEP 2026 · 18:09 UTC
169 keys
147 keys
30 SEP 2026 · 18:11 UTC
166 keys
145 keys
1 OCT 2026 · 18:08 UTC
165 keys
144 keys
3 OCT 2026 · 07:11 UTC
168 keys
146 keys
4 OCT 2026 · 07:09 UTC
170 keys
148 keys
5 OCT 2026 · 11:09 UTC
171 keys
149 keys
7 OCT 2026 · 01:09 UTC
170 keys
148 keys
8 OCT 2026 · 01:10 UTC
170 keys
148 keys
9 OCT 2026 · 01:09 UTC
171 keys
149 keys
10 OCT 2026 · 01:10 UTC
171 keys
149 keys
11 OCT 2026 · 15:09 UTC
171 keys
149 keys
12 OCT 2026 · 15:09 UTC
170 keys
148 keys
Price history in numbers
90 readings since 25 Sep 2025
Over the last 30 days the Purple Energy Mean Captain's sell price ranged from 163 keys to 172 keys and is up 4.2% after 52 moves. Over a year it ranged from 116 keys to 212 keys (up 21.7%). Today's 170 keys sits in the middle of its range: the lowest we have recorded is 116 keys (21 Aug 2026) and the highest 212 keys (16 Dec 2025). The price has moved 89 times since we began recording it — about once every 4 days.