Counterfeit Beanie Babies

Well it was only a matter of time for criminals to invade the wonderful world of Beanie land. The Ty Company had been in hot pursuit of altered and fake Beanies and fake Ty tags for almost a year. As reported in the Chicago Tribune and radio stations across America: On December 15, 1997 the first shipment was seized by U.S. Customs officers at the Chicago Customs cargo facility at O'Hare Airport. The fakes were imported from China. I have written many articles for magazines and web sites, including my very dear friend, the official Beaniemom, Sara Nelson and her famous web site at -- www.Beaniemom.com to BEWARE!!

In 1996, the collectors were all on alert for a few people altering existing Beanies. You may ask yourself why? The reason is GREED. People were taking advantage of the new collectors and charging big bucks calling them prototypes, redesigns, etc. The biggie at the time was: Mystic, the unicorn, who originally was designed from Ty with a tan horn. In late October of 1997, the Ty Company did in fact redesign Mystic with the iridescent horn. I was so thrilled because I had seen many sadly altered horns, using the same material from Magic, the dragon's iridescent wings. So please keep in mind when you are reading published articles about Mystic or other Beanies remember the authors wrote many articles prior to the actual official Ty redesign and releases. In 1997, another sad alteration was taking place. Garcia was now acquiring an ugly black Peace sign glued to his chest. The sellers were charging big bucks claiming this was the new Peace Bear!! Many innocent people were being tricked into this con artists tactic. The early 1997 counterfeits were: Spot the dog, without the spot, Violet, the old face teddy, and Teal old face teddy. To the best of my knowledge these counterfeits originated in California. Soon to follow was: Peanut the dark blue elephant, Grunt the razorback, Bubbles the fish, Lucky the ladybug, Chilly the polar bear, Kiwi the toucan, etc etc. Since I have never collected anything before in my life, I was shocked. However I have been informed by old time collectors of everything that it does happen all the time.

Now you are asking yourself how can you tell the difference between a fake and an official Beanie Baby. Actually it is not difficult. You must use common sense. The number #1 rule is compare any Beanie old or new that YOU personally have purchased from a store that carries the Ty line of products. Lets discuss the tags first: The Beanie Baby collection has 5 generations of Ty heart tags at this time. All of the official Ty tags are: all printed using the same amount of ink, the paper is going to be the same type with all of the tags, the easiest give away for the fakes is the gold surrounding the red on heart. The official Ty tag is a shiny gold FOIL!!! This can easily be compared to any generation of any official Ty tag. These are easy alarms for any novice collector. The 5th generation Ty tag does have a different font then the prior tags. The GOLD FOIL is identical and the copy cats are having a hard time copying the gold foil. The quality of paper is identical. The red area is a bright red!! If you are planning to purchase a Beanie examine the Ty heart tag first. If you have any doubts and your initial instinct is trying to tell you something --- Walk away and hang onto your money. You will have an opportunity to buy your sought after Beanie from someone reputable. Now that was easy with the red heart tags. (O:

The Beanie Baby itself!! Once again don't be afraid. This is a challenge and can be fun!! USE COMMON SENSE and trust your instincts. When you are planning a purchase rule number #1 exists again: Have several Beanies that you have personally purchased from a store that sell the Ty products. The rule of thumb is once again EASY!! A little bit of concentration and stay FOCUSED!! All official Ty Beanie Babies fabric is smooth and has a velvety texture to it. Oh, except the nappy textured Beanies. The do not feel velvety like the Ty fabric. It is okay to even shut your eyes and let your wonderful sense of touch be the judge. God has given us 5 senses now is the time to use it!! This is the easiest and biggest determining factor. You can also feel the P.V.C. pellets and compare. This becomes a little more difficult.

If you are making a purchase at swap meets and or shows--- Consult some of the experts at the shows. There are many old time Beanie aficionados that have been living in Beanieland longer then most collectors. They have seen many of the older and more expensive retired Beanies before the crooks decided to invade our happy Beanie lives! I personally know all of them and they will be very helpful and they have a tremendous love for these little charming critters!

If you are purchasing over the internet simply ask for references. The original die-hard experts all originated right here in cyberspace. All of the experts know the mover and the shakers in the real expensive retired babies. If all else fails because it is difficult and impossible to verbally explain a fake without seeing the counterfeit ask the seller to send it through our brand new authentication service. The Beanie will be placed in a clear plastic container sealed with an evident proof tamper resistant tape, that reads: Peggy Gallagher Enterprises, Inc. If the container has been opened and if someone tries to switch the original Beanie the tape automatically reads VOID. It is a fool proof way to insure you are buying an official Ty Beanie Baby with the official and appropriate Ty tag. This service is working well and eliminates any confusion and heart ache!!

If in fact you feel someone is trying to sell a fake Beanie. Be very cautious because they might be an innocent person and might not even be aware that they have purchased an altered or counterfeit Baby!! If you start accusing you may receive verbal abuse or worst yet a black eye!!!!!! Be very polite and shop elsewhere.

And most importantly --- Do not associate with any one selling altered or fake Beanie Babies. I know of many excellent reputations being destroyed by mere acquaintances with dishonest people.

Garcia says "Click on one of us beanies to E-mail Beanie Phenomenon!" We welcome your comments , although regretfully, we cannot answer all Questions sent in.