What are Beanie Babies worth today?

It happened on a dark day in 1993.  Ty Beanie Babies were stuffed with pellets and were thrust on to shelves of toy stores all throughout America.  People began collecting the dolls like they were made out of gold.  Even I bought a few in a Beanie Baby frenzy. 

They were cute, cuddly and we all hoped they would be worth something some day.  I remember looking at some of my friends in envy as they had purchased Beanie Babies that were enclosed in a plastic display case to never be opened.  We just knew that these “mint condition” Beanie Babies were going to be of even more value than the others as the years went by.

How much are Beanie Babies worth now?  I’ve spent some time buying and selling things online and often I come across a Beanie Baby and smile.  Their suggested retail price ranges from $5 - $7.  However, regular Beanie Babies purchased for around $5 that have been enclosed and never touched in years might go for about $2 today.  I have seen some go for the price of about $20, but that’s about as good as it gets.  In fact, the same markup would apply for any vintage toy still in its original packaging.

There are some that are limited edition that I’ve heard go for hundreds. And if you have one with a manufacturing defect, you might be able to get even more out of your investment.  But for the most part, us regular people had the regular kind.  Over the years mine were all packed up and thrown out or handed down.  I’m just glad I didn’t live the dream of one day funding my college education on my cute little investment.

Which Beanie Baby did you collect hoping would be worth hundreds someday?

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