Why Beanie Baby Peace the Bear is Worth $2500
You've probably heard of the fact that when it comes to collectibles, certain Beanie Babies can be among the most valued things you are likely to run across. This is something that is sometimes on the same level as Waterford Crystal and the old fashioned glass door knobs that you used to find on houses that were built during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
If you're a collector or you cut your teeth on flea markets and garage sales, you know that these are the types of things that can make you a lot of money relatively quickly. If you know what you're looking for, you can sometimes get a really good deal on things like this because not everyone realizes that they're letting go of something that's worth a lot of money.
In cases like that, you can do quite well for yourself by reselling them. in general, Beanie Babies can typically be sold for a lot more money than you might think but there are certain examples that are worth far more. One of the more prolific examples is Peace the Bear.
History
Just as the name implies, Peace the Bear is a tie-dyed, stuffed bear that has a peace symbol embroidered on his chest. He first came into existence in 1996 but he wasn't sold until May 11th, 1997. He had a relatively short run, being retired on July 14th, 1999.
Anyone that has some Beanie Babies stuffed away in a closet or in the attic might want to check and see if they have Peace the Bear, as there have been a number of times that these examples have gone for as much as $5,000 on eBay.
Why is there such a difference between the average $2,500 and $5,000 for some examples? It really comes down to the fact that this particular Beanie Baby is so unique in a number of different ways. First and foremost, it's the only Beanie Baby that was tye-dyed so by its very nature, there are no two that are exactly alike. That makes each one valuable in its own right, especially if it's combined with a couple of other things.
There were several different tags that were placed on this particular Beanie Baby throughout its run and depending on which one you have, it might be worth $2,000 or it might be worth more than double that amount. That's especially true if it's in great condition and doesn't have any signs of wear and tear.
Earlier Examples of Peace the Bear
If you're curious about finding out more information concerning how the different tags affect the worth of the particular example you have, rest assured that there is plenty of information online that directly addresses these questions. For now, it's worth knowing that the earlier examples of Peace the Bear had what are frequently known as 4th generation tags, while the last examples made were updated with 5th generation tags.
It's also worth knowing that it isn't so much the generation of the tag, so to speak, that matters. It's really more about the errors that might be found on those tags. In this particular case, you might do better if you have an earlier example of Peace the Bear, as many of these errors were corrected as production continued on in later years.
One of the more interesting things to note is that not all Beanie Babies are worth a lot of money. In fact, the overwhelming majority of examples that were produced over the years don't really have a lot of value. This is where people often get tripped up.
They think that all Beanie Babies are worth a lot of money and when they find out differently, they throw out their entire collection or they sell it at a garage sale for literally pennies.
That's precisely when you have the opportunity to take advantage because if you just happen to find something like Peace the Bear and it's in good shape, you might pay a mere fifty cents or maybe even a dollar for it.
You can then get somewhere between $2,000 and $5,000 in your pocket once you sell it. It all comes down to knowing what to look for and understanding how certain things affect each example when it comes to the amount of money they are worth.
Final Thoughts
If you have an example of Peace the Bear and it's not in the greatest shape, don't despair. That doesn't necessarily mean that you're not in a position to make money out of it.
Even those examples that have slight signs of where are still worth a lot of money and in some cases, you might still be able to fetch as much as $2,000 for such an example, provided that all the tags are still attached and it's one of the more sought-after examples.
If all of the tags have been removed and the bear has definitely seen better days, you're not nearly as likely to get four figures out of the deal but if you find the right collector, you might still be able to make a few dollars off of it.
When it's all said and done, it comes down to knowing which examples of Beanie Babies can make you a lot of money and which ones can’t. All in all, there are about 10 or 12 that are considered the most sought-after examples.
It's no coincidence that these are also the rarest ones in existence so you may not be nearly as likely to have one of them sitting around the house collecting dust. That being said, if you're lucky enough to have one, you might be able to get yourself a very nice payday by simply posting it available for sale online.
The important thing to remember is that you should always do your homework before you buy or sell anything, especially when it comes to collectibles like the Beanie Babies (or anything else for that matter).
You can also read:
Written by Liz Flynn
Read more posts by Liz Flynn
