Most Expensive Beanie Babies in 2021
Data via eBay sales
| Beanie Babies | Price | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Gobbles | $24,000 | Sept. 29 |
| Halo Bear | $23,500 | Dec. 28 |
| Princess Bear | $20,000 | Nov. 25 |
| Valentino Bear | $20,000 | Nov. 7 |
| Clubby Bear | $20,000 | Nov. 25 |
| Princess Bear | $20,000 | Dec. 10 |
| Whisper | $20,000 | Dec. 22 |
| The End Bear | $17,000 | Nov. 26 |
| Valentino Bear | $16,793 | Dec. 23 |
| Blackie Bear | $15,000 | Dec. 2 |
| Millennium Bear | $15,000 | Dec. 2 |
| Jake The Duck | $15,000 | Dec. 23 |
| Hope Bear | $15,000 | Nov. 3 |
| Holiday Teddy | $15,000 | Dec. 21 |
| Erin The Bear | $14,500 | Dec. 22 |
| Curly Bear | $14,500 | Dec. 5 |
| Maple Bear | $14,500 | Nov. 15 |
| Valentina Bear | $14,100 | Oct. 3 |
| Valentina Bear | $14,000 | Dec. 10 |
| Tuffy | $12,425 | Dec. 7 |
It's been 20 years since the Beanie Babies craze came to an end, a meteoric rise and swift fall that was captured in a documentary on HBO.
The documentary "Beanie Mania" was released on December 23, 2021, which sparked the conversation about the value of Beanie Babies today.
Exact data is hard to find. The height of Beanie Babies was back in 1998 and 1999, which makes sale prices harder to find. There's no confirmation needed to know that prices were heavily inflated in the secondary market. According to the documentary, the company that produced Beanie Babies — Ty — did $1.4 billion in sales in 1998.
What does the market look like now? We tracked down the top-20 sales according to finalized sales on eBay.
The data shows most of the top sales are bears, highlighted by Princess Bear which was made after the death of Princess Diana. Only four of the top 20 sales are not bears, including Gobbles, the most expensive sale on the board.
While some websites and sources list Beanie Babies in six-figures, and some as high as $500,000, finding a buyer at that mark isn't quite that easy. As our numbers show, the most expensive Beanie Babies sale in 2021 was for $24,000.
What makes a lot of the above sales so rare oftentimes comes in errors, whether it's on the Beanie Babies itself or on the tag.
We will highlight below some of the more popular options.
Gobbles
Gobbles, a turkey, was the most expensive sale of the year. This particular one featured multiple errors, including spacing on the tag, a stamp on the tag and a circle 'R' symbol in a different position than usual. Gobbles was released in 1997 and retired in 1999.
Halo
Halo the Bear was released in 1998 and retired in 1999. This specific sale was of the original 1998 version with a brown nose.
Princess Bear
Arguably the most popular of all Beanie Babies, Princess Bear was created in 1997 following the death of Princess Diana. Ty originally said proceeds would be donated to her Memorial Fund. The bear was out for less than two years before being retired in April of 1999.
Valentino/Valentina Bear
These bears are the Valentine's Day version. Valentino was released in 1995 as a white bear with a red heart. Valentina was a red bear with a white heart released in 1999 and was retired that same year.
The most expensive Valentino sold in 2021 featured a printing error.
Clubby Bear
The first Beanie Babies to wear a button, Clubby was released in 1998 and retired in 1999.
Whisper
This deer was released in 1998 and retired in 1999. This specific sale featured an error on the tag.
The End Bear
This bear was supposed to be the one that marked the final product of Beanie Babies after a short release from August 31 to December 23. Of course, Ty later released more after the short-lived end.
Blackie Bear
Released in 1994 and retired in 1998, Blackie was created following the release of Cubbie the bear.
Millennium Bear
To celebrate the year 2000, Millennium Bear was released on January 1, 1999 and retired in November of that same year.
Jake The Duck
A mallard duck, Jake was released in May of 1998 and retired in December of 1999.
Hope the Bear
Ty released a praying bear in January of 1999 and retired in December of that year. The rare version featured multiple spelling errors and lacked a stamp on the inside of the tush tag.
Holiday Teddy
Ty released Holiday Teddy every year starting in 1997. The original with errors makes the list here. He was retired on December 31, 1997.
Erin The Bear
The St. Patrick's Day bear was created in 1998 and retired in 1999.
Curly Bear
Released in 1996 and retired in 1998, Curly featured multiple tush tags and was given away at sporting events on multiple occasions.
Maple Bear
Sporting the Canadian Flag on its chest, Maple was the first bear created representing a country outside the United States.
Tuffy
Tuffy the Terrier was created in May of 1997 and retired in December of 1998. This version sold included eight errors.
