Hi Ross,

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.

The Millennium Bear is one of Ty’s most recognizable commemorative Beanie Babies, tied directly to the turn of the year 2000. It was part of the massive late-1990s Beanie Baby craze, when Ty issued special bears to mark events (similar to Princess, Glory, etc.). It commemorated the global excitement around the year 2000—making it more of a keepsake than a character-based toy. Because of the hype at the time, it was produced in very large quantities (Ty has never disclosed the production runs for ANY of its Beanie Babies) and is not considered a rare bear, and worth $20-30.

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

A Ty "Millennium" Beanie Baby Bear
issued in 1999
Magenta bear with an orange ribbon and a globe embroidered on its breast, with a tush tag and heart-shaped swing ear tag. In a plastic case.
Typically 8-1/2 to 9 inches long
CONDITION: Very good
PROVENANCE: Acquired at a secondhand store
$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