Why Beanie Baby Nana the Monkey is Worth $4,000
Beanie Baby enthusiasts have recently been enjoying a resurgence of popularity in the Ty Inc. brand stuffed toys. Many of the creations from the 1980s forward are being found in pristine condition and some of them are worth thousands of dollars to serious collectors. Only the rarest and well-preserved editions are considered to be of high value, and one such Beanie Baby is the Nana the Monkey. One example of this vintage toy fetched an amazing $4,000. If you have a Nana toy in your old collection, it might be worth examining. Although not every Nana the Monkey is worth a lot of money, some of them certainly are. If you’re not a collector and you’re not sure what to look for, here is everything that you need to know about rare Beanie Baby Nana the Monkey.
What is Nana the Monkey?
Nana the Monkey is a Beanie Baby stuffed toy that was manufactured by the Ty Inc. company and released for sale to the public on August 17, 1995. The monkey has a brown body with a lighter brown face, feet, and tail coloring, along with black button eyes. Nana the Monkey was a popular toy although it was only produced for a very short production period before she was retired. Production continued under a name change to Bongo. This made the Nana version of the toy a rare edition which would only increase in value with the passage of time, with a top currently estimated value of approximately $4,000.
How to tell if you have a valuable Nana the Monkey toy
It doesn’t take a trained eye to discern the difference between a fake Nana the Monkey and an authentic version. It’s important to know that there are quite a few counterfeiters out there who are attempting to capitalize on the recent craze in collectible Beanie Babies. The most valuable editions have a name tag attached that says Nana. The only valuable Nana the Monkey toys are the ones that still have all of the tags attached. We’ve seen rare editions of Nana the Monkey sell for as little as $41.00 from the 1995 first generation which was minus the hangtag. This just goes to show you what kind of impact a missing piece can have on the overall value of a rare collectible item. The condition not only includes the shape that it is in but also refers to tags and other accessories that the original came with. Pristine means pretty much just as it was purchased brand new, and if the item was made with defects, these can also enhance its rarity and value, especially if the company noticed the flaws and corrected the error after the release of at least some of the flawed products.
Telling fakes from authentic Nana the Monkey toys
We’ve seen some counterfeit versions of Nana the Monkey complete with the Ty Inc tags which appear to be the real deal, when in fact they’re not. In one example, there was a difference in the eyes. The fake version showed closed eyes while the real thing has black button eyes which have a wide-open appearance. You must look for subtle differences such as a narrower or wider muzzle, differences in the color tones and in the nap length of the fabric. These can tip you off to a fake, which may also be identified through photographs if you have an eye that is keen spotting tiny details. You should also inspect the inside print on the hangtag to ensure that the punctuation, print size, and color, font size, and print alignment are identical to authentic versions. Some counterfeiters may even go so far as to attempt to substitute a Bongo Monkey for the Nana Monkey by changing the name on the hangtag. There is also information that is printed on the back of the hangtag that should be compared to the original to ensure that you have an authentic Beanie Baby. The Tush Tag must be an original first generation in black and white with a copyright date of 1995 because this was the only type of tag that was made for the short production run under Nana the Monkey. It’s always wise to pull up several angles of an authentic Nana the Monkey to make comparisons before you surrender money for a Nana the Monkey toy that is claimed to be genuine and rare.
Final thoughts
To recap, the Beanie Babies Nana the Monkey toy was only made for a short period of time before Ty Inc. was forced to retire the Nana and replace the name with Bongo for copyright infringement legalities. This made the Nana the Monkey dolls a rare commodity when they became vintage toys. Those which are in pristine condition with all of the tags are hard to find and this is the reason why those which fit the criteria of mint condition are considered to be so very valuable. Those which are not complete have sold for as little as $5 or $6 dollars and all prices in between these and the top value of $4,000, so far. Rare vintage toys such as the Beanie Babies Nana the Monkey tend to increase in value when they are well maintained with all of the tags intact, so we are projecting that within the next decade to come, the value of this very special and rare edition is only going to upwards. The best place to find a genuine collectible Nana the Monkey toy is through a reputable collector who deals in rare vintage toys. It’s risky to make the purchase of such an expensive item from a private party or from a vendor with a sketchy consumer review record. If you’re fortunate enough to have one of these Nana the Monkey toys in your attic, now you know what to look for to discover if yours is one of the more valuable examples.
