Surviving the Backpack: My b4nny-Gifted Stickybomb Launcher

The Discovery

I was clearing out my inventory and listing a few things on the Steam Community Market. While scrolling, I spotted a Strange Specialized Killstreak Stickybomb Launcher I’d completely forgotten about.

At first it looked like any other Sticky. Then I read the tag: “Gifted by FROYO b4nny.” That one line sent me down a rabbit hole.

The Provenance

Curious, I dug deeper. The name wasn’t just random — b4nny is widely regarded as the greatest TF2 player of all time. At the time this was gifted, it was during the i52 Indiegogo fundraiser in 2014, when Froyotech first made their mark on the international LAN stage.

Not only is this a Stickybomb Launcher — one of b4nny’s trademark weapons as Demoman — but it came with a Mean Green sheen, straight out of the Killstreak update era. Everything about it lined up with that moment in TF2 history.

To confirm, I checked its listing on backpack.tf, and sure enough, the gifted tag is still there, permanently tied to the item.

The Fundraisers

Finding the item was one thing — proving its origin was another. That’s where the Indiegogo fundraisers come in. Back in 2014, Froyotech ran a campaign to help send their team to Insomnia 52 (i52), the LAN where they would cement themselves as legends.

I was one of the backers. That’s why this Stickybomb Launcher ended up in my backpack, gifted by b4nny himself. The Indiegogo page still exists, and my name is on the list of supporters.

I also backed the i55 fundraiser in 2015, which I can prove with both my Indiegogo history and an original confirmation email. Between i52 and i55, the evidence ties my involvement directly to Froyotech’s LAN fundraisers.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/send-north-american-tf2-teams-to-the-i52-lan/x/7819483#/

The Screenshot That Seals It

Emails can get lost. Webpages disappear. But the proof that never fades is what’s saved in your own library. On 18 August 2014, the day this Stickybomb Launcher was delivered, I took a screenshot to mark the moment.

That image is the final piece of the provenance puzzle — showing the item, the gift tag, and the exact date it entered my backpack. It’s stayed there ever since.

The Provenance Stack

When it comes to rare digital items, provenance is everything. Here’s the full chain that locks this Stickybomb Launcher in as authentic:

• Indiegogo i52 fundraiser (2014): I was a backer during the campaign that sent Froyotech to their first international LAN.
• Gift tag: The item itself is permanently marked “Gifted by FROYO b4nny.”
• Steam screenshot (18 Aug 2014): Captured the day I received it, showing the gift and the date.
• Backpack.tf listing: Publicly displays the item’s details and history, confirming it has never left my account.
• Indiegogo i55 fundraiser + email (2015): Additional proof I backed Froyotech more than once, tying me directly to both campaigns.
• Continuous ownership: This Stickybomb Launcher has stayed in my backpack for over ten years.

Taken together, this isn’t just a signed item. It’s a documented esports relic, tied to a specific moment in TF2 history and preserved with proof at every step.

What’s It Worth?

TF2 has always had a thriving collector market, and prices scale with provenance. Here’s how the value breaks down for this Stickybomb Launcher:

Tier	Estimate	Why
Floor	£300–£500	Quick sale, buyer doesn’t care about provenance.
Mid	£800–£1,200	Informed TF2 collector who understands i52 + b4nny.
Ceiling	£1,500+	Patient sale to the right esports/TF2 history collector.

Future Potential

• 1–2 years after TF2 sunsets (if inventories remain tradable): £2,000–£3,000 as nostalgia spikes.
• 5–10 years later: £4,000–£6,000 as TF2 becomes a retro esport and b4nny’s legacy only grows.
• Long-term grail: £10,000+ if digital relic collecting stays strong.

Bottom line: even at its lowest, this Sticky is worth hundreds. Realistically, it sits in the £1,000 range today — with serious upside for the future.

How Does It Compare? (CS:GO Analogy)

For anyone outside the TF2 trading scene, here’s a direct comparison to CS:GO skins — another digital economy where provenance drives value.

In short: just as CS:GO collectors pay a premium for Major-tied, pro-signed items, TF2 collectors will pay for LAN-era relics with airtight provenance. My Sticky sits in that same category for TF2’s history.

The History Behind the Gift

TF2 had LAN events before — in both Europe and America — and North American teams had already crossed the Atlantic once at Insomnia 46 (2012). But it wasn’t a regular occurrence, and for many players the scenes still felt separated by an ocean.

Insomnia 52 (2014) changed that again. It was Froyotech’s first international LAN appearance in Europe, made possible by that Indiegogo campaign, and they finished 3rd place. They didn’t take the trophy, but the event is remembered as the start of Froyo’s legacy on the global stage.

I was there in person at both i52 and i55, which makes this item even more special. I got to see Froyo’s international debut with my own eyes — and then the following year, their first international LAN win.

One year later, at Insomnia 55 (2015), Froyotech returned stronger. This time they won the whole event — their first international LAN victory, cementing their place in TF2 history. The Stickybomb Launcher in my backpack ties directly to that journey: the fundraiser that brought Froyotech overseas for the first time, and the start of their international legacy.

Froyotech LAN Timeline

This Stickybomb Launcher sits right in that history: it came from the fundraiser that sent Froyo to i52, the event where TF2’s competitive scene went global.

Why It Matters

Most of my blog is about survival — blizzards in The Long Dark, aliens in Isolation, or just not starving in Stranded Deep. But survival isn’t always about health bars and hunger meters. Sometimes, it’s about the things we forget, the things that somehow last untouched.

This Stickybomb Launcher is one of those things. It’s sat in my backpack for over a decade, surviving trade cycles, meta shifts, and years where I wasn’t even playing TF2. When I finally stumbled back across it, I realised it wasn’t just a weapon — it was a relic. A piece of esports history that made it through everything, waiting to be rediscovered.

So no matter what happens to TF2 in the future, whether the servers run forever or the game eventually sunsets, this item has already outlived expectations. It’s a story of survival in its own right — and it’s not going anywhere.

Closing Note

And just to be clear — I’m not selling this. Some relics belong in the wild, not on the marketplace. The bragging rights, the history, and the survival story are worth more to me than any number of keys or pounds. This Sticky has already survived ten years untouched in my backpack — I plan to let it survive a lot longer.

It’s more than just a weapon — it’s a relic from the moment TF2 went global, and it’s survived in my backpack longer than most games survive on Steam.