Hi Caorlan,

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.

Ty released "Valentino" in 1993 and retired the bear in 1994, Valentino stood out for his white plush body, red heart accents, and romantic theme, which made him especially popular as a Valentine’s gift and a display piece rather than just a toy. It's worth noting that Valentina the Bear was introduced by Ty in 1998 and retired in 1999. She’s a deep magenta/pink bear with a matching heart and gold stitching, created as a more overtly romantic, feminine counterpart to the earlier Valentino (white) bear.

While Ty has never disclosed how many of any Beanie Babies it produced, this is not considered a rare bear and most Valentino beanie baby bears that come to auction rarely exceed $15-25, even if in mint condition and/or come with protective plastic cases as in the case with this bear.

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

A near vintage Ty "Valentino" Beanie Baby Bear
circa 1993-94
White bear with red heart on its left breast, with a tush tag and heart-shaped swing ear tag. In a plastic case.
Typically 8 inches long
CONDITION: Very good, in a plastic case
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