Peggy Gallagher was born in Chicago, Illinois. She was the manager of her husband's criminal law practice in Chicago. She was elected to the Board of Directors of the Porsche Club of America, Chicago Region. She is a former member of the Chicago Board of Trade. Upon graduation she taught first and second grade for several years at Frank Hammond School in Munster, Indiana. Peggy started collecting Beanie Babies® in May of 1996, and was the first person to mail thousands of monthly retired Beanie Baby® secondary market price lists in Canada, England and the U.S.A.

In 1996, prior to the official Ty® website, she wrote articles and shared pictures of rare and retired Beanie Babies® on Sara Nelson's Beanie Baby® web site, www.Beaniemom.com.By late 1996, she had acquired three entire sets of the Beanie Baby® collection. She has written articles for numerous collector magazines. She has been on national television including NBC THE TODAY SHOW and many numerous local and cable television and radio stations across the country and England, including monthly visits, on Chicago's WGN Radio 720AM, the number one all night talk show: The Steve and Johnnie Show and has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Smart Money magazine, The International Herald Tribune in Paris, France,and numerous newspapers and financial periodicals. She is an acknowledged authority and leading expert on the retired secondary market price and values of Beanie Babies® since July of 1996. She has been a featured speaker and invited guest to many college campuses and trade shows in the United States, Germany, and  England. She is the author and publisher of THE BEANIE BABY® PHENOMENON! The first book published on Ty® Beanie Babies®. This publication was retired nine months after it sold 77,000 copies. Her other publications were small pocket size price guides: The Beanie Baby® Phenomenon 1997-1998 Winter Price List and Spring 1998 Price List (including Ty® Pillow Pals®). She and her sister, Paula Abrinko author this 100 page award winning web site devoted to all Ty® products, www.Beaniephenomenon.com and www.peggyg.com. This web site has had over a half million visitors. She is the first person to offer a Beanie Baby® authenticity service and has examined over 150,000 Beanie Babies® since 1996. She is an expert witness and consultant for law firms, the United States Postal Service fraud division, and insurance companies. She is on the advisory board of eBay®, and the only authenticator of Beanie Babies® on eBay®, the # 1 internet auction site.  Peggy is also been the Official Counterfeit Expert for Jacqueline Greenwood's Smart Collecting Web Site and Janie Daniels website: msjanie.com

Mrs. Gallagher lives in a western suburb of Chicago with her husband Daniel and numerous irresistible Ty® products.

Paula Abrinko has been an avid collector of Beanie Babies since May of 1996 and Ty® Plush since November of 1996, and an expert in both fields. She was responsible for the first accurate and detailed lists of Beanie Babies®, Ty® Plush and Attic Treasures® which have been reproduced and used repeatedly in magazines and on web sites.

Paula graduated from St. Louis University School of Medicine and is currently in private practice as an Internist in Northwest Indiana. She is the mother of two daughter, many Beanies®, Attic Treasures®, Pillow Pals® and many Ty® plush characters

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