The Adorable Beanie Baby That Could Be Worth $5,000 In 2025

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Beanie Babies were a massive fad in the late 1990s, made even more famous for their hype as collectibles. In their heyday, many customers purchased Beanie Babies as investments for the future, assuming they'd appreciate in value over time. Thanks to a combination of changes from maker Ty Warner and a fatigued marketplace, this just didn't happen — at least not for most. While the typical Beanie Baby does not have the value you might expect today, there are exceptions. For example, if you happen to have a royal blue elephant Beanie Baby named Peanut, you could have a small fortune on your hands.

It might not fetch you the $12,000 that another rare Beanie Baby could, but this version of Peanut is no slouch on eBay. There are multiple listings for the elephant asking for upwards of $5,000, with some unpackaged McDonald's Legends editions posted for between $7,000 and $15,999. As for how much the Beanie Baby is actually netting, eBay's "Sold" page shows one Peanut that recently went for $2,499.99, another that sold for $1,050, and others that sold for under $700. It's possible some of these were priced too low to begin with and that the sellers were unaware of their value, but the lesson here is clear: While the royal blue Peanut can sell for a lot, it's not guaranteed. If you have an authentic one to sell, it pays to at least start by listing it on the higher end.

How to tell if a royal blue Peanut is authentic and valuable

The royal blue Peanut is only valuable if it's authentic and meets certain criteria. As with many other rare Beanie Babies (and collectibles in general), counterfeits have made their way onto the market as sellers attempt to capitalize on the original's value. So, whether you're planning to sell yours or are just curious how much it could be worth, the first thing you'll need to do is determine whether or not you have an authentic royal blue Peanut from Ty and which version it is.

The royal blue Peanut is valuable because of its rarity. According to Ty Collector, Warner decided to switch the elephant's color from royal blue to light blue after just a few months because he believed the lighter tone would appeal more to children. Authentic ones will only have 1995 listed on black-and-white tush tags, but be careful as some counterfeits feature a similar label. According to Beanie Babies Price Guide, authentic Royal Blue Peanuts also have a bit richer of a color, and their fabric is generally smoother.

Suspect you have an authentic Peanut? It's important that it's clean, in good condition, and preferably has both tags attached. While it might not boost your net worth like some collectibles, we'd recommend paying attention to online sales as you get ready to list yours as that will help determine the price you should set.

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