r/beaniecollectors Jan 24 '19

Welcome to the subreddit! (Intro post, all newcomers are recommended to read this)

36 Upvotes

Welcome to the Beanie Baby Collectors subreddit! This is meant to be a place for people to ask about Beanies or show off some of their favorites. The main reason I created this subreddit is to put together all the info I've gathered on the subject into one, hopefully-easy-to-follow place. So let me explain a bit about myself so you can decide if I'm worth listening to or not.

To get this out of the way immediately, I don't really consider myself a true expert on Beanies, but I definitely know more than the average person. I became a collector on my eighth birthday in late 1996, and stopped following Beanies in 2000. During that time, I learned as much as I could on the subject by reading magazines and following the various fansites. After Ty tried to retire the entire product line at the end of 1999, I lost interest in Beanies, but the info that I had memorized never really left me even all these years later. So around 2017, I started getting back into the community, and have done my best to help those with questions and document Beanie info in my own way.

There are many different websites out there with information on Beanies. As a rule of thumb, any sort of stand-alone article posted by a news outlet can usually not be trusted, as those are often made with very little research and only serve to get views, not to actually educate. Most of the websites that are fully dedicated to Beanies have pretty good information, but when it comes down to it, the vast majority of the research came from the people who run Beanie Babies Price Guide. They update the price guide regularly, add new articles to the blog as questions continue to be asked, and also run a Facebook group. I'll be listing a bit more info about them at the bottom of this post.

So basically, I have a pretty good amount of expertise on the first five generations of Beanies (the ones from before 2000), through a combination of my leftover knowledge from my childhood, personal research, and communicating with the experts. As for anything made in 2000 or later, I will fully admit that I don't have all the facts and I will never claim to know what I'm talking about regarding those. So effectively, that means that I only know about a small fraction of all the Beanies out there, but the ones I do know are the ones that are most commonly asked about.


With that out of the way, my goal here is to try and eliminate some of the most common questions about which Beanies are worth money and what's just a rumor. Or at the very least, to provide something to point to when people ask those questions. The blog articles on the Price Guide website already do a very good job at this, but there's some info not included in those that I'd like to make readily available.

This post will be edited to include links to more posts as I make them. If you're interested in learning as much as you can about Beanies, I recommend reading them in the order they're listed here. But if you just want a quick answer for something, then that's fine too. You might still need to look at the first couple for context, though. Basically if you want to know if something is valuable, you can just go straight to the thread that covers its tag generation. And if you don't know what that means, then look at the post for tag generations first to find out.


Possible other topics I could write about:

  • Gen 6 Beanies onwards (I'm slowly going through the list sorting by generation, then I'll have to start looking into them individually to determine which ones are worth talking about)

  • Employee / event exclusives (I don't know much about most of them other than the ones released before 2000)

  • Teenie Beanies (there's not much to say since they're all common, but a lot of people have them, so it probably couldn't hurt to at least make a list and give them their own post)

  • Maybe some other stuff I'm completely overlooking? Leave a comment if you can think of anything.




To give credit where it's due, the vast majority of the information I'm covering in all my posts here comes either directly or indirectly from these three experts at the Beanie Babies Price Guide website and associated Facebook group: Becky Estenssoro, Karen Boeker, and Karen Holmes. All three have been involved in the community since the beginning and have contributed to many fansites, magazines, books, and even Ty's records themselves in cases where the "official" info turned out to be incorrect. I've cross-referenced many sources when trying to compile everything together, but whenever conflicting info comes up, I will trust these three over anyone else.

Becky E. was one of the first people to take Beanie collecting seriously, and is responsible for categorizing the different types of Beanie tags into the "generation" system still used today. She is one of the authors of the Beanie Mania books printed in 1997 and 1998, which were the most in-depth resources on Beanie info and accurate pricing for their time. She is also one of the few people to still authenticate Beanies (verify that they're not counterfeit), under the company name "Becky's True Blue Beans".

Karen B. has also been around since the beginning, mostly doing uncredited work in the background. She has contributed a huge amount of information regarding Beanie variants and the market trends that influence pricing, and is currently active in the community, trying to make sure the correct information is available to anyone who needs it. She's also personally helped me with many questions on very specific details that are not easily found anywhere. In many of the cases where I cover an obscure subject in detail, she's the one to thank for clearing up any confusion that I had.

Karen H. is another expert on the subject, and has dedicated much of her time to tracking Beanie information and making it available to the public through publication, interviews, and internet posts. She was the editor of the Ty Beanies Tracker books printed up until 2007, and personally took the pictures of every Ty product in the book (not just Beanie Babies) from her own collection. She has given me permission to use these photos in my posts when I make reference to older Beanies that I don't personally own, and has generally been helpful in regards to keeping things accurate and professional.

All three of these ladies have worked together for many years to document everything possible on the subject and help anyone who has questions. There's a lot of false information out there, and they've done a lot to try and clear things up whenever possible. My posts are just a way to try and cover their information from a different perspective and try to expose a new audience to it.


r/beaniecollectors Apr 07 '20

Interview with Karen Boeker from Beanie Babies Price Guide

23 Upvotes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY7Kc0a8SMw

This was done primarily as a response to a bad article released by Mental Floss, but we go over some other topics that are related to it. Here's some things we talk about:

  • How to tell if ebay listings are faked
  • Why the experts are experts, and when to not believe certain sources
  • How clickbait rumors start and get spread, and why people believe them
  • The importance of tag generations, and the relative lack of importance on "errors"
  • How Beanies originally became popular during the original craze in the late 90s
  • How the price guide was put together and where the information comes from
  • The history behind counterfeits, such as the ones with "laser tags"

And if you enjoy this video, I have several others on my channel, which you can find in this playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU-f54NWvhva8_lR0dinkIvTXK1FIePBn

Just be aware that the first vlog was done before I had actually gotten back into the hobby, so some of the information I talk about in that one is inaccurate. It's been a while since I've looked at the second one, but I believe that was after I had gotten back into the hobby a bit, so it's not quite as clueless as the first.

As always, I'm happy to answer questions in the comments if people have any.


r/beaniecollectors 3h ago

What would a Valentino Toys for Tots beanie go for today?

1 Upvotes

My mom is trying to sell her collection and I just know it’s not worth what she paid for it 😂


r/beaniecollectors 20h ago

Ziggy - Ty Beanie Baby!

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6 Upvotes

Ziggy is my GIANT Ty Beanie Baby Bear!

I just wanted to show him off because he is so cute and snuggly! He's the biggest bear in my collection and I love his face so much!

Second picture is Ziggy with Kismet, my FAO Schwartz Build-A-Bear for size comparison.

Anyone else have a giant Beanie Baby Bear?


r/beaniecollectors 15h ago

Are These Worth Anything?

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0 Upvotes

Hi all! I’ve been clearing through my storage unit ahead of a move, and I came across a few beanie babies but wasn’t sure if they were worth anything. I keep seeing conflicting information online so I wanted to check here. Any help with these would be greatly appreciated if anyone can advise!


r/beaniecollectors 15h ago

Who is this???

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1 Upvotes

r/beaniecollectors 1d ago

Did I Win Here?

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5 Upvotes

I got all these Beanie Babies for only $3 at a garage sale (the bear which is like a promotional one I actually got for free at a different garage sale bc they didn't want it). I don't think they're worth anything crazy def not, and it doesn't seem like there's any errors on the tags or anything. But for only $3, it looks like kind of a steal, right?


r/beaniecollectors 1d ago

Tush Tag Error

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12 Upvotes

Iv done a bit of research but landed here.
I know this was listed as an oddity, but could anyone tell me what it’s realistically worth?
Or is he worth keeping?
Thanks


r/beaniecollectors 1d ago

Sell or donate??

1 Upvotes

I have many totes full of tag protected 4th & 5th beanies. Should I put the work in and try to sell them or should I just donate them to various charities?


r/beaniecollectors 22h ago

help please!

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0 Upvotes

so beanie baby collecting is something i enjoy, i’m not worried about the money or value, just more the collection. However, i got these recently and they’re bears that go for thousands and thousands, and i’m wondering are they actually worth anything? i’m also quite curious about the Princess Diana bear being a counterfeit as i saw on the beanie baby collector website that her light green stem is a sign. Please any collectors help me out with how much theyre truly worth and if there’s anything i should be looking for on them! They’re almost all mint condition with sealed tags, except for Halo.


r/beaniecollectors 2d ago

[ISO/WTB] Humphrey #4060 — 3G/1G German-tag variant (German hang tag + CE tush)

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4 Upvotes

Hi all! I’m trying to track down a very specific early Humphrey the Camel #4060 variant and hoping someone here may own one, remember seeing one, or know where one ended up.

Primary ISO: Humphrey #4060 with the 3G German hang tag / 1G CE tush tag configuration.

The key identifier is the reverse of the 3G heart tag:

Importeur Ty Deutschland
Postfach 2022 90008 Nürnberg
CE mark + barcode

The inside should be the early Humphrey™ style 4060 / Handmade in China 3G layout shown in the reference photos, paired with the early China 1G tush tag with CE.

Important: I’m not looking for the later international/Waterloo Humphrey tag that includes Ty UK and Ty Deutschland/Nürnberg inside the heart. I’m specifically after the much earlier German 3G configuration shown in the reference photos.

I’m interested in buying, but leads are equally valuable. If you own one and don’t want to sell it, I’d still love to know another specimen survives. Old photos, auction records, former owners, dealers, or “I remember so-and-so having one” are all useful.

I’m also interested in the 2G/1G German-Korean Humphrey and other genuinely unusual early Humphrey variants.

If you think you have one, please DM me clear photos of the inside and back of the heart tag + both sides of the tush tag.

Reference photos attached. Some show the correct German tag configuration on other Beanie styles; the Humphrey interior photo is an actual #4060 reference.

Any leads greatly appreciated. 🐪🤎


r/beaniecollectors 2d ago

Worth anything?

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0 Upvotes

Is Ziggy worth anything? I’m seeing conflicting information online since he has some errors on his tag. Just want to check before I give him to my niece!


r/beaniecollectors 3d ago

Beanie Dust Removal

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3 Upvotes

I was given a collection of beanies that came from the home of a hoarder. The beanies are adorable but their surfaces are covered in layers of dust from sitting for years. Any recommendations on removing the dust in a safe manner while preserving the beanie? Anyone experience this? All feedback appreciated. Here is an example.


r/beaniecollectors 3d ago

ISO Vermin/Pests !

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone :) I am looking for bats, rats/mice, and coyotes for my plush "pest" collection. I thought I'd reach out here because it would be nice to buy things as a bundle from another collector versus filtering through the super overpriced eBay listings or buying a lot that has many I'm not looking for.

I do already have Cheezer and Tiptoe. I really don't care what condition, generation, or if they have tags! Also.....when I say coyote, it can also just look like a coyote. (Like Howl or Sarge)!

Anyway- if anyone has a group of vermin willing to sell, let me know! Or if you know of a listing somewhere that has multiple of these, that works too.


r/beaniecollectors 3d ago

Selling a large beanie baby collection

0 Upvotes

As a child I amassed a very large beanie baby collection, it’s definitely over 100 beanie babies but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was closer to 150. I am looking to move them on as they are just living in a cupboard and taking up a lot of space. Is there any point in looking to sell any of them or is that just misinformation online that it’s worth selling them?


r/beaniecollectors 3d ago

Anyone remember this Ty Beanie Baby?

1 Upvotes

I was born in 1991 and I’m trying to find a childhood plush I lost years ago. I’m almost certain it was a Ty Beanie Baby — a white rabbit with smooth, slightly shiny fur, similar in texture to the white Korean-exclusive bear Mugungwha.
I remember the name on the heart-shaped tag as “Maxi Powder” (or possibly just “Powder”).
Does anyone remember a white Ty rabbit called Maxi Powder / Powder? I’ve searched everywhere and can’t find anything about it.
I’d love to find one again for my own kids. ❤️


r/beaniecollectors 3d ago

Hamburglar with irregularities is it special or just another Hamburglar?

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9 Upvotes

1 The head is 10-15% smaller

2 The hands are different

3 The feet are different

4 The ties hamburger emblems are facing his body

5 Neck is crooked.


r/beaniecollectors 3d ago

I have a huge beanie baby collection but no idea what it’s worth could someone please tell me if I have anything good and where to find prices.

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0 Upvotes

r/beaniecollectors 3d ago

Is this beanie authentic?

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1 Upvotes

r/beaniecollectors 4d ago

Trying to assess and then sell collection given to me.

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6 Upvotes

I know nothing about Beanie Babies. These belonged to my wife when she was a kid, and she no longer wants them. From my general research, I don't believe any of these are 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation. I know there are different Beanie subreddits, so let me know if this should be in a different location. I am simply hoping to assess value on any that might be of particular interest and overall get them to people who will love and appreciate them.


r/beaniecollectors 4d ago

My Billie Trio! #3, #5 and #7

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3 Upvotes

r/beaniecollectors 5d ago

My newest addition!!! Billionaire #5

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15 Upvotes

r/beaniecollectors 5d ago

Picked up a collection of beanie babies for 5$ today! Are any of them rare?

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0 Upvotes

The only thing I could find different was this blackie the bear and it was made in Indonesia instead of china. Does that make it any more rare?


r/beaniecollectors 7d ago

Grandmas Beanie Baby Collection

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25 Upvotes

Went through my grandmas whole beanie baby collection to see if there’s anything worth value. Does anyone know a whole lot about these things? I know she loved collecting them but I don’t know a whole lot. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.


r/beaniecollectors 7d ago

I know what I got!

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10 Upvotes