Hi Dana,

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).

Most Beanie Babies - around 99.999999999% of them - have a fair-market value of less than $15 when sold at auction, particularly if they are not in cases; even if they are in cases, they usually don't bring more than $30.

"Swirly the Snail" was introduced in March 1999 and discontinued in December 1999, making her a short-run beanie baby. Though some private sellers and retailers try to sell her for high two or low three-figures, when she comes to auction she usually doesn't bring more than $30, if that much.

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

A near vintage Ty "Swirly the Snail" Beanie Baby Snail
issued in 2000
Pink snail with glittery gold antennae and gold and green shell, with a tush tag and heart-shaped swing ear tag.
5-1/2 inches high by 6-1/2 inches long
CONDITION: 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