Hi Brittany,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

Beanie Babies (BB) 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).

Ty released Valentino the Beanie Baby bear on February 14, 1994, and it was retired on December 31, 1998. Some early versions of Valentino had errors, such as missing the red nose, which made them highly sought after by collectors. Yours would be one of them and, consequently, is worth quite a bit more than the others, $200-300.

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

A rare and early near vintage Ty "Valentino" Beanie Baby Bear,
Handmade in China, circa 1994
The all-white bear with brown nose. bright-red heart on its breast and red ribbon bow, bearing a heart-shaped ear tag and characteristic tush tag. Stuffed with PE pellets
Should be approximately 8-9 inches long
CONDITION: This beanie baby bat appears to be in good condition.
PROVENANCE: Unknown
$200-300*
*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