Hi Dawn,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

Beanie Babies (BBs) were enormously popular in the 1990s and widely collected, with the consequence that now there are many "on the market" without nearly enough demand for the supply so values on most individual beanie babies are low.

The BB market is often subject to overvaluation and there are myths surrounding BB values, both for ones with - and without - tag errors (for discussion on tag errors, see https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22870250/nft-beanie-baby-price-guide-bubble-princess-value ).

Websites like eBay and Etsy - which are unregulated - are rampant with fraudulent sellers posting BB at exorbitantly high prices and then the BBs either don't sell or sell privately at undisclosed prices. (For an article that goes into detail about this, see: https://www.vice.com/en/article/epnwmn/investigating-the-fake-ebay-market-for-dollar25000-beanie-babies).

Teeny Beanie Babies are an interesting offshoot of the original Beanie Babies craze, and there are a few unusual or important things about them that set them apart from regular Beanies: Teeny Beanie Babies were miniature versions of Ty’s full-sized Beanie Babies. Each is about 3–4 inches long, compared to the usual 6–9 inches of standard Beanies. They were made with simplified details and construction to suit mass production.They were produced specifically for McDonald’s Happy Meals, not sold in stores. The first series was released in 1997 in the U.S., with 10 different characters. They came sealed in small plastic bags, not with traditional Ty swing tags, but special McDonald’s tags; because of this, they were sometimes called "McDonalds' Teenies". I don't see the McDonalds logo on the heart-shaped tag on this beanie baby, though...

Most Beanie Babies and Teenie Beanies- around 99.999999999% of them - have a fair-market value of less than $30 when sold at auction, particularly if they are not in cases.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

A near vintage Ty "Pinchers the Lobster" teenie beanie baby
circa 1993
6 inches long
CONDITION: This appears to be in good condition
PROVENANCE: Inherited
$20-30*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia