After the Great Beanie Baby Bubble Burst of 1999, Beanie investors were left with nothing. 

Yes they were definitely the "big deal of the day" (sorry Monte Hall), every where you went there were Beanie Babies all over the place. Restaurants, stores, even garage sales. People who were die hard collectors zeroed in on them like a hungry bear who just found a bee hive full of honey.

The 1998 edition Scholastic Beanie Baby Handbook listed the original price of Beanie Babies when they were first released, how much they sold for in 1998 and their estimated price for 2008. Beanie Babies were supposed to be a good investment. That is according to page 27 of the book: "Basically, if you can afford to do this, simply putting away five or ten of each and every new Beanie Baby in super mint condition isn't a bad idea." But at what cost?

Teddy the violet bear was estimated to be between $4,000 and $5,000 depending on which edition you had. And it might not be worth that much, but they can go for as high as $699.Stripes the Dark Tiger was estimated to worth $1,000 in 2008. But today you can get it for $9.95. Seaweed the Otter was estimated to be worth $60 in 2008. But today you can get it for $2.99.

Did you get caught up in the Beanie Baby craze? Do you still collect them?

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