Hi Richard,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

Beanie Babies 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. Additionally, the Beanie Baby market is often subject to overvaluation and there are myths surrounding Beanie Baby values, both for ones with - and without - tag errors. Websites like eBay and Etsy - which are unregulated - are rampant with fraudulent sellers posting Beanie Babies 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).

"Hope" was released in March of 1998 and retired about 18 months later, in December 1999. The prayer-themed poem on it's heart-shaped ear tag added to the bear’s emotional appeal, especially among religious or spiritually inclined collectors and families.

Most Beanie Babies - 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 "Hope" Beanie Baby bear
made in China, circa 1998
The kneeling light brown bear with closed eyes and cream-colored paws held in prayer, with heart-shaped ear tag and tush tag.
5 inches tall
CONDITION: This bear appears to be in good condition.
PROVENANCE: Inherited
$ 15-25*
*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