What makes valentina beanie baby rare

You know you're a '90s baby if you have a plastic tote full of Beanie Babies stowed away in storage. After all, it was drilled into our brains that someday, years down the road, our beloved Tys would one day be worth a small fortune. Ty even sold plastic tag protectors to ensure our tiny cash cows would get through our childhood years unscathed.

Because as we collectors know, a Ty without a tag isn't worth squat.

Well, your collection of Ty Beanie Babies may not afford you a small fortune (even with the tags) but a few select BBs might just go for a pretty penny. Keep reading for the most valuable Ty Beanie Babies!

Note: None of the below prices are guaranteed. These prices are based on what bidders on eBay have offered or bought these Beanie Babies for. It's also worth noting that most Beanie Babies that are worth money contain errors on the tags—a misspelling or other inconsistencies.

41 Most Valuable Beanie Babies

Large Wallace and Two Regular-Sized Wallaces, Cashew, and Huggy

As you may know, some Beanie Babies are worth more if they are paired with others in a "collection" of sorts. One such crew includes a Large Wallace Ty (a green teddy with a red check scarf) paired with two regular-sized Wallaces, and his bear pals Cashew and Huggy.

The large-sized Wallace is rare, but if you can pair him with the four other bears in the squad, then you could be looking at a cash-out of up to $600,000.

Weenie

This wee-sized Weiner dog—who just so happens to be appropriately named—comes with a hefty price tag. "Born" in '95, Weenie may have stopped growing in size, but his worth definitely continued to mature over the past few years. It's currently valued around $2500, but some Weenies can go for as much as half a million dollars.

15-inch Peace Bear, 9-inch Peace, Ringo, and Bones

Another collection of Tys, the quartet of 15-inch Peace Bear, 9-inch Peace Bear, Ringo (the raccoon), and Bones (a dog) can be worth up to $159,000 if paired together. As far as most expensive Beanie Babies go, Peace Bear on its own is definitely up there—about $5,000. But pair the 15-inch and the 9-inch bears together and throw in Ringo and Bones? That's quite a chunk of change.

Bubbles

When it comes to the richest fish around, Bubbles take the lead as it can be worth as much as $129,000. Released first in 1996, Bubbles had several different modifications throughout the time it was manufactured. These updates made the toy fish more susceptible to errors, and it's those limited-run Beanies that are worth a big buck. If your Bubbles is from '96 and features an error on the tag, it's time to cash in.

Piccadilly Attic

While Piccadilly Attic may not be the cutest Beanie Baby to look at, the bear dressed up as a clown is still—for some reason—worth a lot. One of the most valuable Tys on its own, Piccadilly's worth has increased in recent years all the way up to $125,000.

Batty

Batty the Bat could be worth as much as $124.9K, but there's a catch. To cash in on this estimate, your Batty has to have an extra foot as part of a rare production error.

Related: '90s Trivia

Scoop

If you collected Scoop the Pelican back when he launched in 1996, then you may know that he was retired just two years later (but not before a major error happened in his production). Since his run was so limited, Scoop in excellent condition can fetch up to $50,000, but can be worth as much as $100,000 if the tag inside is completely blank!

Large Peking, Fortune, and China

This trio of pandas could earn you as much as $98,000. Of course, like the other collections on this list, each of the three pandas—Peking, Fortune, and China—must be a set.

Libearty

The original Libearty was a white bear with a flag embroidered over his heart and a red and blue ribbon around the neck, and had a one-year production run. Later variations featured a striped body or a red-striped bowtie and red face. Prices on the OG Libearty vary, as all TY prices do, but we've seen this one go for as much as $75,000. According to Beaniepedia, Libearty was originally Olympics-themed for the 1996 Olympics (the year it was released). Due to copyright infringement, however, this idea was scrapped for the bear's American flag

Related: 101 Disney Trivia Questions and Answers to Make Game Night Magical

Jolly

Jolly is a walrus launched in 1997. Retired just a year later, Jolly has big white tusks and a brown mustache and can be worth as much as $75,000.

Valentina

A simple magenta bear, Valentina's birthday is Valentine's Day. She's considered super rare, as she was in production for less than a year. Worth as much as $57,000, Valentina sometimes contains one of these rarities: "1999" on the tush tag instead of '98, no red stamp on the tush tag, grammatical error in the tush tag poem (an extra space before the exclamation point at the end of the sentence), or "TY" in uppercase letters on the back of the tush tag.

Sparky

The aptly named Sparky is a Dalmatian first introduced in 1996. Sparky was retired in 1997 and due to its rarity, can sell for as much as $55,000. But you can get even more money for your Sparky—approximately $90,000—if it has a rare white star printed on the tag.

There's one more another odd variation that can up Sparky's price. Sparky has been known to be wrongfully tagged with the tush tag of Bubbles, Dotty, Ears, Flip, Hippity, and Rover, so make sure you double-check yours (especially if it's been in a tag protector since you were ten years old).

Related: The Kid 90 Trailer Is Giving Us All the Feels! Here's the Scoop on the New Doc About Your Favorite '90s Child Stars 

Lips

Lips, a multicolored fish, was a rarity from the get-go as it was originally only available for order by those who had attended the 1999 Gift Show. But then, a mistake on the tag made it even more highly coveted by collectors. Some tags read "Lips the Fish" while others are wrongfully printed "Tiny the Chihuahua." Either way, you could be looking at a $53,000 payday.

Lefty the Donkey and Righty the Elephant

When paired together, Lefty the Donkey and Righty the Elephant could be worth as much as $50,000. However, there's one specific thing you'll need to look for: Hillary Clinton's signature. Yup, that's what makes this duo so coveted. Clinton signed a single pair of Beanie Babies in 2006 at the request of a doting dad. The Beanie Babies, of course, were for his kids, but today, they're worth a lot.

Steg

If you have an authentic Steg (a tie-dyed stegosaurus) you could be sitting on as much as $50,000. But authentic is the key here, as apparently counterfeit Stegs are more common than the real ones. To ascertain the difference, look for these telltale signs: An authentic Steg features recessed eyes flat to the fabric, three (c) symbols printed on the left side of the tag, and a 1995-only copyrighted date on the tush tag (as it was produced for just over one year).

Rainbow

Not to be confused with Rainbow Dash the My Little Pony or Rainbow Sock Monkey, Rainbow is a tie-dye or blue chameleon produced in 1998 and 1999. Some variations have a tongue, while others do not, but that doesn't matter when it comes to selling your Ty. You could get as much as $49,000 for this cuddly reptile, but be sure to check the tush tag: Some Rainbows were incorrectly tagged with Mel the Koala or Spunky the Cocker Spaniel tags.

Twigs

There are two Ty Beanie Babies named Twigs: a snowman and a giraffe. But it's the giraffe that could be sold for as much as $45,000 (all apologies to Twigs the Snowman). For a giraffe, Twigs' neck isn't all that long, but its tag could mean a big payout. Some Twigs are wrongfully tagged with Bessie, Bongo, Gracie, Inch, Snowball, or Weenie tush tags.

Valentino the Bear

Valentino (the brother of the aforementioned Valentina) is also worth a lot, as this particular bear is known to have plenty of errors. Some Valentinos have a brown nose instead of the traditional black, a white star on their tag instead of a yellow one, is made with PVC pellets rather than the traditional plastic pellets, or of course, contain misspellings on the tag. Any of these Valentinos can go for up to $45,000, and one with an error and a tag signed by the famed designer himself can fetch $50,000 or more.

But there's still good news if your bear does not have any errors (or isn't signed by an Italian fashion icon). Most common versions of this rare bear sell go for about $1,000, too.

Related: ‘90s Children’s Books

Pinchers

We knew lobster was expensive but not this expensive! Now worth about $35,000, Pinchers—a red lobster with black eyes and two black strings for feelers—was part of the first series of nine original BBs. As a now-retired OG, Pinchers may be simple to look at, but he could really enrich your bank account (particularly those with first edition tags).

The End

In 1999, Ty announced that it would be ceasing all production of Beanie Babies. As you can imagine (or maybe even remember), this didn't sit well with collectors and despite Ty releasing the black The End bear to signify the brand's retirement, Ty eventually continued production. Still, The End is worth about $30,000—maybe more if you have one with one of these particular oddities: a missing "The End" emblem on the chest or an emblem with just the word "The."

Hippity, Hoppity, and Floppity the Bunnies

For this trio of bunnies—Hippity, Hoppity, and Floppity—you could earn up to $30,000. But first, make sure you have the right versions. There are two Tys named Hippity (it's the light green bunny you want, not the white), two Tys named Hoppity (you want the all-pink rabbit with an April 3, 1996 birthday), and many counterfeit versions of the lavender Floppity. Look for these telltale signs of an authentic Floppity: a bridge across its nose and a double-sided ribbon around the neck.

Seaweed

Seaweed is a little brown otter clutching his favorite marine snack. Born on March 19, 1996, versions of Seaweed have been printed with the following names on the tags: Kiwi, Manny, Peanut, Ringo, Tank, and Ziggy. With an error on the tag, your Seaweed could be valued at $30,000.

Stinky

Another Ty Beanie Baby known for tons of errors on its tags is Stinky. A black and white skunk, Stinky can sell for $25,000 if its tag bears any of the following names: Bongo, Chip, Doodle, Floppity, Radar, Sly, Speedy, or Weenie.

Brownie the Bear

When this four-legged bear was first introduced in 1993, he went by the name Brownie. Later, it was changed to Cubby. If you have an OG Brownie, it could sell for around $20,000.

Jake

Jake the mallard duck was introduced in May 1998 and can be worth a surprising amount. According to TyCollector.com, some Jakes on the market featured Chinese factory markings—numbers like 401, 402, 433, and 484 despite the official Jack style number being #4199. Jake has sold for as much as $16,000 on eBay in recent years.

Hope

Hope is a yellow bear that could fetch up to $16,000. Her eyes are closed in prayer, and the poem inside her tush tag is, of course, a hopeful one. Be careful not to get this Ty confused with another Beanie Baby of the same name. This Hope's style number is #4213 and has a birthdate of March 23, 1998. The alternative Ty named Hope is a pink teddy-style bear that bears the breast cancer awareness symbol.

McDonald's International Bears

To get in on the Beanie Baby fun of the '90s, McDonald's fast-food restaurants started selling mini Tys in their Happy Meals, calling them Teenie Babies. Despite promises that the Teenies, too, might be worth something one day, only one collection of Teenies can make you a quick buck. That's the International Bears collection of four Teenies bears that included Britannia from Britain, Erin from Ireland, Glory from the U.S., and Maple from Canada. You can rake in some cash for a set of all four, but it's worth noting the Britannia bear alone (in its OG packaging, for whatever reason) sold for $10,000 on its own.

Princess the Bear

One of the most famous Beanie Babies is Princess the Bear, the special edition purple bear with a white rose on her chest that was released in the wake of Princess Diana's tragic death in 1997. Proceeds from the Princess Diana Ty bear sales went to the Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. These bears were very rare and therefore highly sought-after, as originally, only 12 bears at a time were sent to vendors. There are two versions of this Ty—one with PVC pellets (marked on the tush tag) and one with PE pellets. The 1998 PE pellets Princess the Bear is considered to be more common, but both versions may be worth as much as $10,000 if not more.

Pouch

Pouch is a mother-child kangaroo duo that first premiered in 1997. With a little joey in the mama's pouch (hence her name) and a tendency to have tag errors (including two tush tags instead of one), Pouch could be worth as much as $10,000.

Patti the Platypus

One of the original nine, Patti the Platypus is considered a rare Beanie Baby. There have been several variations of Patti, however, including frequent color changes—deep fuchsia, raspberry, magenta/maroon, regular fuchsia, and light pink. As recently as 2019, an original Patty (first released in '93) sold for $9,000.

Claude the Crab

Don't get too excited if you know you have Claude the Crab in your possession—it's Claude's errors that are the real cash cow here. Check the tag of your Claude to see if it features a star. If there's no star on the tag and it includes a few other oddities, including an ® above the ™ on its tush tag, it might sell for $9,000.

Halo the Bear

Halo the Bear is one of the most expensive Beanie Babies to make, owing to its iridescent fabric, so it totally tracks that Halo is also worth a pretty penny. Here's what to look for: a 1998 timestamp, a white star printed on its fur, a tush tag error, discrepancy, or misspelling, or a variation in the eyes and nose. Got at least one of those? Your cuddly guardian angel could be worth as much as $7,500.

Gobbles the Turkey

You may not have played with Gobbles the Turkey unless it was Thanksgiving Day, but that might be a good thing, as a mint condition Gobbles that's like new could be sold for almost $7,000. Not too long ago, a like-new Gobbles went for $6,667, but make sure you've got the original version with a 1996 birth year. Other important things to look for are some of the following known oddities: one missing leg, a Dotty tush tag, or a Tuffy tush tag.

Snort the Red Bull

Originally named Tabasco, this red bull's name had to be changed to avoid trademark infringement from the hot sauce company. But even still, Snort is worth a lot more than a bottle of hot sauce. To tell the difference between Tabasco and Snort, Tabasco's hooves are all red, while Snort's are white. Either way, you could make $6,000 on this Ty.

The Peace Bear

Even if you don't have the full collection of the 15- and 9-inch Peace Bears, you still could pocket up to $5,000 on one Peace Bear alone.

Iggy the Iguana 

Not to be confused with the aforementioned chameleon (and these two were confused—a lot), Iggy the Iguana came in several color variations: tie-dye, pastel, neon, and blue. You may have a rare Iggy with a Quackers tush tag, which could earn you about $5,000. But if you have an Iggy with a totally blank tag—no writing at all inside—then you could be sitting on as much as $15,000.

Nana the Monkey

Originally known as Nana, this Ty monkey was renamed Bongo come 1995, but the first Bongo and the first Nana were the same. Like a few other Tys, Nana the Monkey does have a counterfeit problem, so be sure to look out for "Nana" written in the tag and eyes that are in the center of Nana's face, flat to it, rather than embedded onto the muzzle. If you can authenticate your Nana the Monkey, it could be worth as much as $4,000.

Spangle

There are two versions of Spangle, a teddy bear-esque Ty. One has a blue face and one has a white face. According to most recent eBay listings, either version of this Americana-themed Beanie Baby could sell for up to $4,000.

Employee the Bear

The most interesting thing you'll notice about Employee the Bear is that it features no hanging tags at all. All of Employee's tags are sewn in and he doesn't have a hanging tush tag. Employee, who was introduced in '95, is also really rare. This is because he was often gifted to company sales representatives rather than being sold in toy stores. In fact, only 300 were thought to be produced. Today, Employee is worth about $3,000.

Peanut the Royal Blue Elephant

Peanut is a highly coveted Beanie Baby because of the inconsistencies associated with his production. The elephant first became available in 1995 in the original royal blue, but when Ty changed the fabric to a light blue color, the OG royal blue became an unintentionally limited edition of sorts—especially because only 500 of the royal blue elephants were made. Royal blue Peanuts go for anywhere between $1,500 and $2,500.

Humphrey the Camel

First launched in 1993 as part of the original nine Beanie Babies, there have been several different iterations of Humphrey the Camel. Aside from being one of the original nine, Humphrey also reached another crucial milestone: He was the first Ty to ever be retired on June 15, 1995. He was then officially discontinued in '98. Humphrey sell for about $1,200, especially if you can find one with this rare quality: a rear leg sewn on backward. Be wary of counterfeit Humphreys though!

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