Hi Martha,

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).

The purple Princess Diana bear was produced two months after Diana, Princess of Wales's death on August 31, 1997, and continued production until 1999. There are a LOT of them on the market and despite reports that they are "rare" or "valuable," the first edition bears are the only ones that are valuable and even those don't usually sell from more than $75-150. Your bear has a value of $25-35.

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

A vintage Ty "Princess The Bear" Princess Diana Purple Bear beanie baby
Handmade in China, circa 1997
The purple plush bear bearing a white rose over its heart, the rose stem is a pale green. The tush tag has a red number mark inside while the swing tag has a space between "All profits of Ty...: and "Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund".
probably 9 inches long
CONDITION: appears to be in good condition
PROVENANCE: Inherited
$25-35*
*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