People are being urged to check their attics as rare Beanie Babies toys go up for sale for tens of thousands of pounds – but some are worth more than others
Brits are being urged to rummage through their attics and dust off old toys as they could be sitting on a goldmine.
A selection of rare Beanie Babies are currently fetching tens of thousands of pounds on eBay, as collectors scramble to complete their collections.
The cuddly toys, first introduced in 1993 by TY Warner and initially sold in Chicago, Illinois, for around $5, have since become highly sought-after collectables. The original nine – Legs the Frog, Squealer the Pig, Spot the Dog, Flash the Dolphin, Splash the Whale, Chocolate the Moose, Patti the Platypus, Brownie the Bear (later renamed Cubbie), and Pinchers the Lobster – have been joined by 822 other animal designs over the years.
However, it’s the rarest toys and those with manufacturing errors, such as Pinchers the Lobster mislabelled as Punchers, that command the highest prices online. So, if you’ve got a stash of old Beanie Babies gathering dust, it might be time to dig them out and see if you’re sitting on a fortune.
Here are a few that are currently making big money – and what to look out for.
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Princess Diana
The Princess Diana Beanie Babies, also known as ‘the Ghost Version’, is considered the most elusive toy in the collection. Made in Indonesia, it’s listed on eBay for a staggering £300,000 in mint condition.
However, other sellers have it priced between £24,000 and £275,000, with its value depending on its condition and whether it comes with original packaging and tags.
Curly
A “rare original” Curly teddy is up for grabs in mint condition for £29,782.88 due to numerous errors around the tags and bear. These include the word ‘original’ being misspelled as ‘origiinal’, a semi-colon instead of a colon in the date of birth on the swing tag, and the word ‘surface’ being misspelled as ‘suface’ on the hang tag, among others.
Jolly
Jolly the Walrus, a first edition released in 1996 themed around Father’s Day, is listed for £25,000 on eBay in mint condition. It’s now considered ‘rare’ when sold in this pristine state.
Hope
Hope, a praying Beanie Baby, is also available online for £25,000. Many of these toys were released with spelling mistakes and other errors on their tags.
However, according to the Beanie Babies Price Guide, these shouldn’t increase the item’s value.
A statement on their website cautions: “Hope is another Beanie Babies currently making the rounds on the internet “rarest beanies” lists. How it made that list in the first place is puzzling, other than a lack of research and just looking at the highest prices Beanies are being listed at, and everyone copying everyone else.
“Hope is one of the most common Beanies ever made. It was manufactured during the height of the craze when Ty was making millions of them. Many believe that Hope has “error tags”. While there are some errors on some tags, they were mass-produced and are not considered rare by collectors. It’s a pure internet hoax.
Halo
A white Beanie Babies with a halo and wings is being sold for £24,000 on eBay, with the seller claiming it to be a “rare” find. In their product advertisement, they said: “For sale is a rare white Ty Beanie Babies bear named Halo. This bear was manufactured in China and is no longer available in retail stores.
“It belongs to the retired collection of TY Beanie Babies and is highly sought after by collectors and fans of the brand. The bear is in great shape and has been kept in a smoke-free and pet-free environment. It would make a great addition to any collection or a perfect gift for anyone who loves TY Beanie Babies.”
Gobbles
Gobbles the turkey beanie is making waves in the collectibles market, with an online ad slapping a hefty price tag of £15,000 due to typos on its tags. The seller is touting it as an “extremely rare collectible”.
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“Rare with errors – misspelling on tag Gasport rather than Gosport – apparently this was corrected only three months after first manufacture. The tag is a little bent but the beanie is in lovely condition as only came out at Christmas as a tree decoration so stored for the rest of the years.
“No idea he was so rare and special! Yet a stark warning comes from the Beanie Babies Price Guide regarding Gobbles’ supposed rarity: “Gobbles is another Beanie Babies currently making the rounds on the internet ‘rarest beanies’ lists. Gobbles is one of the most common Beanies ever made. It was manufactured during the height of the craze when TY was making millions of them.”
Before selling or buying a Beanie Babies online, people are encouraged to carry out their own research for pricing and should remain vigilant for scams.
Sourse: www.express.co.uk
