sugarvalves [1963573] —
Original article
Find out when booze prices will peak ahead of St Patrick's Day, why White Easter Eggs are a quarter of their usual March value, and why you should be buying up points now in this month's Market Report
Spring is a busy old time for event days, with March hosting two of them and April and May containing one competition and an event day each. Let's find out how the item market has reacted to these forthcoming events and how you should spend your money over the next month as we delve into February's Item Market report.
ST PATRICK'S DAY
The effects of alcohol will be doubled from the 16th to the 18th, during which time we'll also see 15-20,000 bottles of Green Stout spawn on the City Map. Green Stout typically endures the most dramatic swing out of all Alcohol thanks to St Patrick's, with its price hitting $1.5-1.6m prior to the event, before falling below $1m just after.
Pictured: Green Stout one-year price graph.
The price of Green Stout has been rising quite consistently since December, which is a trend we haven't seen before, as its pre-Paddy's Day growth is usually sharp and takes place over a couple of weeks at most. Its current value is $100k above what it was in early March 2021, and some sellers are already reaping the benefits.
"Someone just bought all of my 5 nerve alcohol bottles from my bazaar for way above the market price. He was probably preparing for St. Patrick's day, so I expect the market price spike for 5 nerve alcohol items will reach 1.5m at some point before that day." - -Kevin
The price of Torn's top-shelf booze is rising quicker than real-world gas at the moment, so we might see Green Stout push to $1.7m and beyond this year. The other five nerve alcohols have also grown gradually in price over the past three months, but they tend to peak $100-200k beneath Green Stout's price when demand maxes out around March 14th. Expect to pay $1.5-1.6m for Moonshine and Christmas Spirit this year.
Four nerve booze has also experienced a rise but looks to be leveling off at $360k for the time being. In previous years, Bottles of Mistletoe Madness and Stinky Swamp Punch used to hit highs of $480k, but in recent years, $390k seems to be the limit - anything above this should be seen as a bonus for sellers.
"The higher quality alcohol items (4 and 5 nerve per use) will increase in value by approx 40% until St Patrick's day, then return to slightly lower than current prices." - FactHunttt
It's a similar story for three nerve booze, which doesn't always see a huge price rise ahead of the triple nerve event. The flip side is that this means you won't necessarily see a huge drop post-event either, as only 20,000 or so bottles of the three nerve alcohols are consumed each St Patrick's Day. Mistletoe Madness appears to be the second-most popular choice for this event, with over 80,000 used last year, compared to 40-50,000 for 5 nerve booze.
Pictured: Mistletoe Madness one-year circulation graph.
The only alcohol that beats this is Beer, with roughly 125,000 bottles drunk during last year's St Patrick's Day event. This time last year, Beer was $1,700 a bottle, having been subjected to months of gradual manipulation aimed at raising its price from $900-$1,000. But more was to come in May of that year, as prices rose to $4,000 and beyond.
The influence of the beer manipulators fell away somewhat towards the end of 2021, but in January 2022, they showed they still have the power to affect its value as they raised beer to a five-year high of $4,776 on January 13th. $1k of this value has since been removed, but I wouldn't rule out another false rise before St Patrick's Day arrives.
EASTER EGGS
April's Easter Egg Hunt returns in less than a month, with free eggs set to appear on everyone's screens from the 5th-25th of April. The imminent arrival of this event means that egg prices should decrease from now on, having risen considerably since the start of the year.
Pictured: Brown Easter Egg three-year price graph.
As you can see from those neatly drawn circles, egg prices increase each spring, but fall away rapidly as the Easter Egg Hunt begins. If you have a half-finished egg set from last year, now is definitely not the time to buy up any missing eggs, as the best prices are often found during the final week of the event. But make sure you check the price graphs before purchasing, as many sellers hike their prices during the final two to three days to take advantage of those who are desperate to complete their sets.
How much you should pay for those last few eggs depends on a number of factors. If you're exchanging a set for the first time to gain the Good Friday honor bar, perhaps it makes sense to overpay a little. Otherwise, it's best to be patient and leave your set unfinished, unless you find a few bargain eggs up for sale before the 25th.
The 20 points gained from exchanging a full set will net you $920k at the time of writing, with the Gold Egg worth about $1.8m. This results in a total prize value of $2.7m, which is almost exactly what it would cost you to buy up each individual egg on the market at today's prices. How much profit you make from this event will be determined by which eggs you are missing - let's hope it's not a white one.
Pictured: White Easter Egg three-year price graph.
Of all of the collectible eggs, Whites are the most expensive due to their relative rarity, since they are much harder to see on Torn's natural grey/white background. Whites have been known to climb as high as $3.5m in some years, but the introduction of Dark Mode has massively reduced their value, and their current price of $755k is roughly one-quarter of what it was in March 2021.
Purple Eggs are the second-rarest egg, with this shade having only been released last year. Their circulation level of 12,000 is 4-6x lower than most other eggs, hence why they are currently priced at $700k. Over time, their circulation level will fall in line with the others, but for now, you will have to pay a premium if you're missing the Purple Egg when you come to exchange your set.
For collectors, our tip is to only buy eggs in the final week of the Easter Egg hunt, when prices are much lower. Sellers should obviously do the opposite, and look to get rid of their egg stash as quickly as possible if they want to make any form of profit. Price your remaining eggs aggressively, or face losing them for a much lower fee next year.
420 BLAZE IT
Cannabis has already started rising ahead of the 420 event that takes place between the 19th and 21st of April. Triple Cannabis effects will be provided during 420, with many players choosing to use this event to commit crimes or achieve the Spaced Out honor bar for overdosing on weed.
Pictured: Cannabis one-month price graph.
The price of Cannabis hit a max of $10k last year, having previously topped out at $12k and $18k in the two years prior. Based on weed's current value of $7.5k, I think we'll see price heights of no more than $9-10k this year. And if that is still too rich for your blood, don't forget that many players like to offer Cannabis at the appropriately discounted price of $420 during the event, so look out for those budding bargains if you want to save some cash.
LOVE JUICE FLOPS
Our February prediction that Love Juice would experience a moderate price rise was proven correct, with the drug's peak average of $18.2m representing a $1m drop when compared to 2021's highest price. As ever, Love Juice's value has now fallen in the aftermath of the Valentine's Day event thanks to a drop in demand and a massive increase in circulation.
Pictured: Love Juice three-year circulation graph.
We typically see around 10,000 bottles of Love Juice found on the City Map during Valentine's Day, but this year we saw closer to 20,000 picked up, with LJ's circulation topping 50,000 for the first time ever. Surprisingly, this huge increase in availability hasn't pushed prices down as far as we thought it might, with Love Juice's post-Valentine's value of $9m roughly the same as it was after 2021's event.
"After valentines day the price of Love Juice has crashed again, anyone looking for a long-term investment would surely find profit there or if you were looking to get rid of it still, keep it." - Lightor
If you want to invest in Love Juice while its price remains low, you can do so safe in the knowledge that you'll probably double your money if you hold onto it until February 2022. Love Juice's pre-Valentine peak price has been dropping year on year, but the annual scramble for this powerful pink liquid is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
DOG TAGS
The Dog Tags event returns this May after the 2021 edition was cancelled and rescheduled in the calendar. Nobody is quite sure what, if any changes will be made to the format of this event, but we can make a few item market predictions if it will involve the usual amount of attacking.
Business Class Tickets, Energy Drinks, FHCs, and Xanax typically rise in price ahead of the Dog Tags event, so we might see these trends continue as April arrives. The one item that may not be as popular as it once was is the Small Explosive Device, whose effects can no longer be stacked, rendering them less useful for self-hospitalising over long periods of time to protect your tag haul.
Previous editions of the tournament have also seen heavy usage of Flash Grenades and Tear Gas, as these items can be used on the first turn to increase your chances of taking a tag undetected. Expect these items to increase in value a week or so before the event, and continue to remain high well into the first week.
MUSEUM DAY
If you think you'll have a pressing need for points over the next two months then you'd be advised to buy them up now, as prices will soon start rising ahead of the pre-Museum Day shortage.
Pictured: Points one-year price graph.
Museum Day runs from the 17th to the 19th and provides a 10% increase in points paid out by the Museum. Those with a large stash of plushies, flowers, and other museum collectibles tend to hold onto them during April and May, knowing they will receive 10% more points if they exchange them during Museum Day.
As a result, fewer points will be sold on the market between now and May, which will cause the price to rise until the post-Museum Day dip. Last year, points hit a high of nearly $47k in early April's first peak, rising further to $49k on the 15th of May. Point prices then dropped significantly as the exchanges began en masse, falling to $45.4k in late May, having been closer to $47.7k in late March.
Pictured: Points one-year price graph.
You can also expect to pay more for plushies and flowers as we approach Museum Day, with many travel items having already started to rise in anticipation. Camel Plushies are valued at $93.5k now, up from $91k at the start of the year. These items are priced $500 higher than they were at this time last year, and they later went on to hit a peak of $97.7k in mid-May.
Teddys, Sheep, and Wolverines are also a few hundred up on last year, with Pandas $1k more, Monkeys $2k more, and Stingrays $3k more. Lions and Jaguars are roughly the same price as they were in March 2021, with Red Foxes $500 down, Nessie $800 down, and Chamois $2k down.
Pictured: Chamois Plushie one-year price graph.
More dramatic swings have been seen in the price of flowers over the past twelve months. While Peonies, Heather, Crocus, and Dahlia are all within a few hundred dollars of their 2021 prices, Banana Orchids are $1.2k more expensive, Ceibo are $2k more expensive, Tribulus $3k, Cherry Blossoms $4k more, and Orchids are up a whopping $7k. Conversely, African Violets are $6k down when compared to March 2021, with Edelweiss $7k down.
Museum Day price rises for plushies and flowers vary as to when they begin, with some rising as early as March, and others as late as the final week of April. If you're looking to buy large quantities of either you'll need to do your research on the individual items themselves rather than applying a broad strategy to them all. But if you're selling plushies and flowers the plan is much simpler - hold fire until Museum Day, or keep them to exchange for yourself.
TEMPORARY TEABAGGING?
The Party Popper is by far the most useless temporary item since this Christmas-themed weapon does nothing aside from covering your opponent's avatar in festive coloured streamers. But is this cosmetic effect more debilitating than we realised?
The Torn City Times has heard reports that some ranked war participants have been using the Party Popper to mock their weaker opponents, with their use being seen as an indication that the outcome of your fight was a foregone conclusion before it even began. Since early February, the price of a Party Popper has gone up by $160k, and around 75 have been used in the past few weeks alone.
Pictured: Party Popper one-month price graph.
Of the useful temps, Smokes look to have become the weapon of choice during Ranked Warring, and item runners have responded by flying to South Africa more frequently to stock up. Smokes hit a monthly high of $114k mid-Feb, only to fall down to $106k at the time of writing. This low price has led to some sellers blaming each other for the fall when really the circulation increase is to blame.
"With Ranked Warring going strong and more people attacking in groups, Smoke Grenades could easily run for $120,000+. Yet, there are being dropped to $103,999, causing the market value to be less than $108,000. I get the quick sell, but not at such a hard profit loss." - JayMonee
Conversely, we've seen fewer people flying to Argentina, a trend which indicates that Tear Gas runners are now running Smokes from SA instead. Tear Gas circulation did fall briefly in February, and Qfiffle noticed that the switch in priority from smokes to tear gas had a knock-on effect on the price of certain other travel items too.
"The prices of monkey plushies (and to a lesser extent Ceibo flowers) have been rising all year. Monkeys are around $1k higher than they were in early February, higher than they have been in over a year. It kind of coincides with a drop in tear gas prices since the start of the year, which could be because smokes are more in demand for ranked wars. Perhaps some tear gas runners who used to buy plushies and flowers when tear gas was out of stock have switched to smoke running instead." - Qfiffle
HARD CANDY
In last month's report, we revealed that the recent increase in Erotic DVD prices was potentially being caused by an increase in porno usage driven by Gat's overdose protection insurance. This situation has been alleviated somewhat thanks to two circulation peaks during mid-February and early March, but that hasn't stopped EDVDs rising to $3.2m - their highest price since October 2020.
Pictured: Erotic DVD three-year price graph.
As you can see, EDVDs have been rising gradually since November 2021, when they were priced at just under $2m. Gat's insurance offerings were introduced two months prior to that, so it is possible that this new service did have a casual effect on the value of Erotic DVDs. As a consequence of Erotic DVDs now being so expensive, many players are now switching to alternative forms of happy jumping to save money.
"Choco-jumping will get more expensive as more people flock to it to avoid big costs of happy-jumping. Expect rises on candy (specifically the 5-40k range, these are the most commonly used for choco-jumping) like Big Boxes of Chocolate Bars, Bag of Candy Kisses and Tootsie Rolls." - Hamburguejas
Candy prices have risen slightly since Christmas, but not in a manner that suggests they are being influenced by anything outside of their typical post-CT revival. It is certainly possible that choco jumps will become more costly while Erotic DVDs are so expensive, but given the huge circulation numbers of many candy items, it seems unlikely that the price of chocolate will rise to anything obscene.
If candy does become more popular for use in happy jumps, the value of pornos might drop back in price as demand lowers, making them affordable once more. But unless PRN stock falls dramatically, I think we'll continue to see Erotic DVDs maintain a +$3m value for some time yet, because as Lex_Steel suggests, many of our older players are willing to pay this inflated price, while leaving candy to the newcomers.
"Despite a recent price surge, I think the days of winter price spikes on candy are now ghosts of Christmas’ past. The last 3 years have seen lower highs as well as lower lows, and this trend should continue. Halloween + Xmas Town have bolstered the supply of good candy, but more importantly candy is the best friend of players in their first 3 years. The maturing player base has shown that they are willing to pay the rising price for EDVDs, reducing the demand on candy. I’m looking to sell this year below last year’s highs as I don’t expect them to be reached again." - Lex_Steel
MEDICAL ITEMS
Both of the First Aid Kits have had a poor start to 2022 in terms of price, with FAKs and SFAKs having fallen continuously since October 2021. At one point FAKs dropped below $7k for the first time since last summer, with their smaller variants remaining below $3.5k for the first time in nearly ten years.
Pictured: Small First Aid Kit one-year price graph.
The increased number of ranked wars hasn't led to an increase in the number of people using medical items, and nor are more players entering the hospital than they were at the same time last year. However, in the past few days, we have nevertheless noticed a small rise in the price of certain meds, with FAKs growing from $7k to $7.5k, and SFAKs adding $100 too.
Most blood prices have remained stable during the past month, with changes of around $500-1k noticed in most types. O- and AB+ were the notable exceptions, as their values dropped by $3-4k during February and early March, with AB-going the opposite way and adding $5k to its value. The price of Empty Blood Bags has been rising as factions try to insulate themselves from the cost of bloods, with February's pre-Valentine blood drive causing a circulation dip that has resulted in nearly $1k being added to the price of an empty.
Pictured: Empty Blood Bag one-month price graph.
And finally, the reluctance of certain players to detonate their Dirty Bombs has resulted in a huge drop in the price of Neumunes. These items have fallen heavily since the start of the year, with their December price of $1.5m dropping to closer to $1m today. This will obviously change if one of the bomb holders decides to grow a pair and press the button.
CACHE COSTS
While the low circulation and varying quality of Advanced Weapons and Armors makes it hard to gauge their value at present, we are starting to get a better idea of what caches are worth on the open market.
Armors were initially priced at $2.5b and peaked at $4.5b before falling to a more consistent price of between $1.4-1.8b. Heavy Arms caches are hard to come by on the market, but Medium caches are going for $1.2-1.4b, having also been priced closer to $3b when they were first released.
Melee caches are the only type that have grown in value this month, rising from $1b to $1.4b, having opened at $2.4b back in December. The Small Arms cache is the least popular Ranked Warring reward, but these too have grown in value during February, rising from $680m to $775m.
MISCELLANEOUS
Xanax rose to a high of $839k on the 11th as everyone got busy stacking energy for Valentine's Day. This was a few grand lower than it reached before V-Day 2021, and nowhere near the price achieved by Xanax over Christmas when stocks were temporarily reduced due to CT.
The price for LSD has also gone down once more so SSL users looking to buy in bulk perhaps or anyone else in need of could buy their supply now." - Lightor
Lawyer Business Cards are $50k more expensive than they were last month. This could be linked to the forthcoming St Patrick's event, when many players will use their extra nerve to embark on a crime spree.
Donator Packs are up nearly $200k in one month, with most of the gains coming since March 5th. Their current price of $23m is $400k over the pawn price of $22.6m
Strippograms are becoming less valuable and are currently priced at $14.4m, down from $14.9m in early March. This will change in the coming months as I can exclusively reveal that these items will not feature among the revamped Strip Club specials.
Business Class Tickets are up from $6m to $6.5m, and over the past month, demand has outstripped supply by 500.
Energy Drinks are a mixed bag this month. The 20e and 25e cans have both added $70k-80k of value this month, with much of this coming in the past few days. 30e cans are doing nothing at the moment. Crocozade added $100k, with Damp Valley and Goose Juice adding $30k.
Cesium prices have risen from $530m to nearly $700m over the past thirty days. An anonymous player tipped off The Times with the reason why. "Cesium is super expensive for good reason. We have a nuclear arms race happening in Torn. Multiple factions are preparing a bomb. Big things happening soon." - Anon
ST PATRICK'S DAY
The effects of alcohol will be doubled from the 16th to the 18th, during which time we'll also see 15-20,000 bottles of Green Stout spawn on the City Map. Green Stout typically endures the most dramatic swing out of all Alcohol thanks to St Patrick's, with its price hitting $1.5-1.6m prior to the event, before falling below $1m just after.
Pictured: Green Stout one-year price graph.
The price of Green Stout has been rising quite consistently since December, which is a trend we haven't seen before, as its pre-Paddy's Day growth is usually sharp and takes place over a couple of weeks at most. Its current value is $100k above what it was in early March 2021, and some sellers are already reaping the benefits.
"Someone just bought all of my 5 nerve alcohol bottles from my bazaar for way above the market price. He was probably preparing for St. Patrick's day, so I expect the market price spike for 5 nerve alcohol items will reach 1.5m at some point before that day." - -Kevin
The price of Torn's top-shelf booze is rising quicker than real-world gas at the moment, so we might see Green Stout push to $1.7m and beyond this year. The other five nerve alcohols have also grown gradually in price over the past three months, but they tend to peak $100-200k beneath Green Stout's price when demand maxes out around March 14th. Expect to pay $1.5-1.6m for Moonshine and Christmas Spirit this year.
Four nerve booze has also experienced a rise but looks to be leveling off at $360k for the time being. In previous years, Bottles of Mistletoe Madness and Stinky Swamp Punch used to hit highs of $480k, but in recent years, $390k seems to be the limit - anything above this should be seen as a bonus for sellers.
"The higher quality alcohol items (4 and 5 nerve per use) will increase in value by approx 40% until St Patrick's day, then return to slightly lower than current prices." - FactHunttt
It's a similar story for three nerve booze, which doesn't always see a huge price rise ahead of the triple nerve event. The flip side is that this means you won't necessarily see a huge drop post-event either, as only 20,000 or so bottles of the three nerve alcohols are consumed each St Patrick's Day. Mistletoe Madness appears to be the second-most popular choice for this event, with over 80,000 used last year, compared to 40-50,000 for 5 nerve booze.
Pictured: Mistletoe Madness one-year circulation graph.
The only alcohol that beats this is Beer, with roughly 125,000 bottles drunk during last year's St Patrick's Day event. This time last year, Beer was $1,700 a bottle, having been subjected to months of gradual manipulation aimed at raising its price from $900-$1,000. But more was to come in May of that year, as prices rose to $4,000 and beyond.
The influence of the beer manipulators fell away somewhat towards the end of 2021, but in January 2022, they showed they still have the power to affect its value as they raised beer to a five-year high of $4,776 on January 13th. $1k of this value has since been removed, but I wouldn't rule out another false rise before St Patrick's Day arrives.
EASTER EGGS
April's Easter Egg Hunt returns in less than a month, with free eggs set to appear on everyone's screens from the 5th-25th of April. The imminent arrival of this event means that egg prices should decrease from now on, having risen considerably since the start of the year.
Pictured: Brown Easter Egg three-year price graph.
As you can see from those neatly drawn circles, egg prices increase each spring, but fall away rapidly as the Easter Egg Hunt begins. If you have a half-finished egg set from last year, now is definitely not the time to buy up any missing eggs, as the best prices are often found during the final week of the event. But make sure you check the price graphs before purchasing, as many sellers hike their prices during the final two to three days to take advantage of those who are desperate to complete their sets.
How much you should pay for those last few eggs depends on a number of factors. If you're exchanging a set for the first time to gain the Good Friday honor bar, perhaps it makes sense to overpay a little. Otherwise, it's best to be patient and leave your set unfinished, unless you find a few bargain eggs up for sale before the 25th.
The 20 points gained from exchanging a full set will net you $920k at the time of writing, with the Gold Egg worth about $1.8m. This results in a total prize value of $2.7m, which is almost exactly what it would cost you to buy up each individual egg on the market at today's prices. How much profit you make from this event will be determined by which eggs you are missing - let's hope it's not a white one.
Pictured: White Easter Egg three-year price graph.
Of all of the collectible eggs, Whites are the most expensive due to their relative rarity, since they are much harder to see on Torn's natural grey/white background. Whites have been known to climb as high as $3.5m in some years, but the introduction of Dark Mode has massively reduced their value, and their current price of $755k is roughly one-quarter of what it was in March 2021.
Purple Eggs are the second-rarest egg, with this shade having only been released last year. Their circulation level of 12,000 is 4-6x lower than most other eggs, hence why they are currently priced at $700k. Over time, their circulation level will fall in line with the others, but for now, you will have to pay a premium if you're missing the Purple Egg when you come to exchange your set.
For collectors, our tip is to only buy eggs in the final week of the Easter Egg hunt, when prices are much lower. Sellers should obviously do the opposite, and look to get rid of their egg stash as quickly as possible if they want to make any form of profit. Price your remaining eggs aggressively, or face losing them for a much lower fee next year.
420 BLAZE IT
Cannabis has already started rising ahead of the 420 event that takes place between the 19th and 21st of April. Triple Cannabis effects will be provided during 420, with many players choosing to use this event to commit crimes or achieve the Spaced Out honor bar for overdosing on weed.
Pictured: Cannabis one-month price graph.
The price of Cannabis hit a max of $10k last year, having previously topped out at $12k and $18k in the two years prior. Based on weed's current value of $7.5k, I think we'll see price heights of no more than $9-10k this year. And if that is still too rich for your blood, don't forget that many players like to offer Cannabis at the appropriately discounted price of $420 during the event, so look out for those budding bargains if you want to save some cash.
LOVE JUICE FLOPS
Our February prediction that Love Juice would experience a moderate price rise was proven correct, with the drug's peak average of $18.2m representing a $1m drop when compared to 2021's highest price. As ever, Love Juice's value has now fallen in the aftermath of the Valentine's Day event thanks to a drop in demand and a massive increase in circulation.
Pictured: Love Juice three-year circulation graph.
We typically see around 10,000 bottles of Love Juice found on the City Map during Valentine's Day, but this year we saw closer to 20,000 picked up, with LJ's circulation topping 50,000 for the first time ever. Surprisingly, this huge increase in availability hasn't pushed prices down as far as we thought it might, with Love Juice's post-Valentine's value of $9m roughly the same as it was after 2021's event.
"After valentines day the price of Love Juice has crashed again, anyone looking for a long-term investment would surely find profit there or if you were looking to get rid of it still, keep it." - Lightor
If you want to invest in Love Juice while its price remains low, you can do so safe in the knowledge that you'll probably double your money if you hold onto it until February 2022. Love Juice's pre-Valentine peak price has been dropping year on year, but the annual scramble for this powerful pink liquid is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
DOG TAGS
The Dog Tags event returns this May after the 2021 edition was cancelled and rescheduled in the calendar. Nobody is quite sure what, if any changes will be made to the format of this event, but we can make a few item market predictions if it will involve the usual amount of attacking.
Business Class Tickets, Energy Drinks, FHCs, and Xanax typically rise in price ahead of the Dog Tags event, so we might see these trends continue as April arrives. The one item that may not be as popular as it once was is the Small Explosive Device, whose effects can no longer be stacked, rendering them less useful for self-hospitalising over long periods of time to protect your tag haul.
Previous editions of the tournament have also seen heavy usage of Flash Grenades and Tear Gas, as these items can be used on the first turn to increase your chances of taking a tag undetected. Expect these items to increase in value a week or so before the event, and continue to remain high well into the first week.
MUSEUM DAY
If you think you'll have a pressing need for points over the next two months then you'd be advised to buy them up now, as prices will soon start rising ahead of the pre-Museum Day shortage.
Pictured: Points one-year price graph.
Museum Day runs from the 17th to the 19th and provides a 10% increase in points paid out by the Museum. Those with a large stash of plushies, flowers, and other museum collectibles tend to hold onto them during April and May, knowing they will receive 10% more points if they exchange them during Museum Day.
As a result, fewer points will be sold on the market between now and May, which will cause the price to rise until the post-Museum Day dip. Last year, points hit a high of nearly $47k in early April's first peak, rising further to $49k on the 15th of May. Point prices then dropped significantly as the exchanges began en masse, falling to $45.4k in late May, having been closer to $47.7k in late March.
Pictured: Points one-year price graph.
You can also expect to pay more for plushies and flowers as we approach Museum Day, with many travel items having already started to rise in anticipation. Camel Plushies are valued at $93.5k now, up from $91k at the start of the year. These items are priced $500 higher than they were at this time last year, and they later went on to hit a peak of $97.7k in mid-May.
Teddys, Sheep, and Wolverines are also a few hundred up on last year, with Pandas $1k more, Monkeys $2k more, and Stingrays $3k more. Lions and Jaguars are roughly the same price as they were in March 2021, with Red Foxes $500 down, Nessie $800 down, and Chamois $2k down.
Pictured: Chamois Plushie one-year price graph.
More dramatic swings have been seen in the price of flowers over the past twelve months. While Peonies, Heather, Crocus, and Dahlia are all within a few hundred dollars of their 2021 prices, Banana Orchids are $1.2k more expensive, Ceibo are $2k more expensive, Tribulus $3k, Cherry Blossoms $4k more, and Orchids are up a whopping $7k. Conversely, African Violets are $6k down when compared to March 2021, with Edelweiss $7k down.
Museum Day price rises for plushies and flowers vary as to when they begin, with some rising as early as March, and others as late as the final week of April. If you're looking to buy large quantities of either you'll need to do your research on the individual items themselves rather than applying a broad strategy to them all. But if you're selling plushies and flowers the plan is much simpler - hold fire until Museum Day, or keep them to exchange for yourself.
TEMPORARY TEABAGGING?
The Party Popper is by far the most useless temporary item since this Christmas-themed weapon does nothing aside from covering your opponent's avatar in festive coloured streamers. But is this cosmetic effect more debilitating than we realised?
The Torn City Times has heard reports that some ranked war participants have been using the Party Popper to mock their weaker opponents, with their use being seen as an indication that the outcome of your fight was a foregone conclusion before it even began. Since early February, the price of a Party Popper has gone up by $160k, and around 75 have been used in the past few weeks alone.
Pictured: Party Popper one-month price graph.
Of the useful temps, Smokes look to have become the weapon of choice during Ranked Warring, and item runners have responded by flying to South Africa more frequently to stock up. Smokes hit a monthly high of $114k mid-Feb, only to fall down to $106k at the time of writing. This low price has led to some sellers blaming each other for the fall when really the circulation increase is to blame.
"With Ranked Warring going strong and more people attacking in groups, Smoke Grenades could easily run for $120,000+. Yet, there are being dropped to $103,999, causing the market value to be less than $108,000. I get the quick sell, but not at such a hard profit loss." - JayMonee
Conversely, we've seen fewer people flying to Argentina, a trend which indicates that Tear Gas runners are now running Smokes from SA instead. Tear Gas circulation did fall briefly in February, and Qfiffle noticed that the switch in priority from smokes to tear gas had a knock-on effect on the price of certain other travel items too.
"The prices of monkey plushies (and to a lesser extent Ceibo flowers) have been rising all year. Monkeys are around $1k higher than they were in early February, higher than they have been in over a year. It kind of coincides with a drop in tear gas prices since the start of the year, which could be because smokes are more in demand for ranked wars. Perhaps some tear gas runners who used to buy plushies and flowers when tear gas was out of stock have switched to smoke running instead." - Qfiffle
HARD CANDY
In last month's report, we revealed that the recent increase in Erotic DVD prices was potentially being caused by an increase in porno usage driven by Gat's overdose protection insurance. This situation has been alleviated somewhat thanks to two circulation peaks during mid-February and early March, but that hasn't stopped EDVDs rising to $3.2m - their highest price since October 2020.
Pictured: Erotic DVD three-year price graph.
As you can see, EDVDs have been rising gradually since November 2021, when they were priced at just under $2m. Gat's insurance offerings were introduced two months prior to that, so it is possible that this new service did have a casual effect on the value of Erotic DVDs. As a consequence of Erotic DVDs now being so expensive, many players are now switching to alternative forms of happy jumping to save money.
"Choco-jumping will get more expensive as more people flock to it to avoid big costs of happy-jumping. Expect rises on candy (specifically the 5-40k range, these are the most commonly used for choco-jumping) like Big Boxes of Chocolate Bars, Bag of Candy Kisses and Tootsie Rolls." - Hamburguejas
Candy prices have risen slightly since Christmas, but not in a manner that suggests they are being influenced by anything outside of their typical post-CT revival. It is certainly possible that choco jumps will become more costly while Erotic DVDs are so expensive, but given the huge circulation numbers of many candy items, it seems unlikely that the price of chocolate will rise to anything obscene.
If candy does become more popular for use in happy jumps, the value of pornos might drop back in price as demand lowers, making them affordable once more. But unless PRN stock falls dramatically, I think we'll continue to see Erotic DVDs maintain a +$3m value for some time yet, because as Lex_Steel suggests, many of our older players are willing to pay this inflated price, while leaving candy to the newcomers.
"Despite a recent price surge, I think the days of winter price spikes on candy are now ghosts of Christmas’ past. The last 3 years have seen lower highs as well as lower lows, and this trend should continue. Halloween + Xmas Town have bolstered the supply of good candy, but more importantly candy is the best friend of players in their first 3 years. The maturing player base has shown that they are willing to pay the rising price for EDVDs, reducing the demand on candy. I’m looking to sell this year below last year’s highs as I don’t expect them to be reached again." - Lex_Steel
MEDICAL ITEMS
Both of the First Aid Kits have had a poor start to 2022 in terms of price, with FAKs and SFAKs having fallen continuously since October 2021. At one point FAKs dropped below $7k for the first time since last summer, with their smaller variants remaining below $3.5k for the first time in nearly ten years.
Pictured: Small First Aid Kit one-year price graph.
The increased number of ranked wars hasn't led to an increase in the number of people using medical items, and nor are more players entering the hospital than they were at the same time last year. However, in the past few days, we have nevertheless noticed a small rise in the price of certain meds, with FAKs growing from $7k to $7.5k, and SFAKs adding $100 too.
Most blood prices have remained stable during the past month, with changes of around $500-1k noticed in most types. O- and AB+ were the notable exceptions, as their values dropped by $3-4k during February and early March, with AB-going the opposite way and adding $5k to its value. The price of Empty Blood Bags has been rising as factions try to insulate themselves from the cost of bloods, with February's pre-Valentine blood drive causing a circulation dip that has resulted in nearly $1k being added to the price of an empty.
Pictured: Empty Blood Bag one-month price graph.
And finally, the reluctance of certain players to detonate their Dirty Bombs has resulted in a huge drop in the price of Neumunes. These items have fallen heavily since the start of the year, with their December price of $1.5m dropping to closer to $1m today. This will obviously change if one of the bomb holders decides to grow a pair and press the button.
CACHE COSTS
While the low circulation and varying quality of Advanced Weapons and Armors makes it hard to gauge their value at present, we are starting to get a better idea of what caches are worth on the open market.
Armors were initially priced at $2.5b and peaked at $4.5b before falling to a more consistent price of between $1.4-1.8b. Heavy Arms caches are hard to come by on the market, but Medium caches are going for $1.2-1.4b, having also been priced closer to $3b when they were first released.
Melee caches are the only type that have grown in value this month, rising from $1b to $1.4b, having opened at $2.4b back in December. The Small Arms cache is the least popular Ranked Warring reward, but these too have grown in value during February, rising from $680m to $775m.
MISCELLANEOUS
Xanax rose to a high of $839k on the 11th as everyone got busy stacking energy for Valentine's Day. This was a few grand lower than it reached before V-Day 2021, and nowhere near the price achieved by Xanax over Christmas when stocks were temporarily reduced due to CT.
The price for LSD has also gone down once more so SSL users looking to buy in bulk perhaps or anyone else in need of could buy their supply now." - Lightor
Lawyer Business Cards are $50k more expensive than they were last month. This could be linked to the forthcoming St Patrick's event, when many players will use their extra nerve to embark on a crime spree.
Donator Packs are up nearly $200k in one month, with most of the gains coming since March 5th. Their current price of $23m is $400k over the pawn price of $22.6m
Strippograms are becoming less valuable and are currently priced at $14.4m, down from $14.9m in early March. This will change in the coming months as I can exclusively reveal that these items will not feature among the revamped Strip Club specials.
Business Class Tickets are up from $6m to $6.5m, and over the past month, demand has outstripped supply by 500.
Energy Drinks are a mixed bag this month. The 20e and 25e cans have both added $70k-80k of value this month, with much of this coming in the past few days. 30e cans are doing nothing at the moment. Crocozade added $100k, with Damp Valley and Goose Juice adding $30k.
Cesium prices have risen from $530m to nearly $700m over the past thirty days. An anonymous player tipped off The Times with the reason why. "Cesium is super expensive for good reason. We have a nuclear arms race happening in Torn. Multiple factions are preparing a bomb. Big things happening soon." - Anon
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