If you were around in the late nineties, you remember the fever. People weren't just buying stuffed animals; they were investing in plush "securities." At the heart of that chaos, the September 24th Beanie Baby—specifically the Millennium bear—became a weirdly specific symbol of everything right and wrong with the Ty collector market. Honestly, it's a bit of a mess to untangle.
Most people call it the Millennium bear. Some just call it the Y2K bear. But if you look at the tush tag of a specific version of this royal purple creature, you’ll see that birth date: September 24, 1998. It feels like a lifetime ago. Back then, we all thought these things would pay for our kids' college tuition. Spoiler alert: they mostly didn't. But why does this specific date keep popping up in collector forums and eBay listings decades later?
Why the September 24th Beanie Baby Still Confuses Collectors
The confusion usually starts with the "errors." Ty Warner, the eccentric genius behind Ty Inc., was notorious for tiny variations that drove the secondary market into a literal frenzy. For the Millennium bear, the most famous "glitch" involves the spelling of the word "Millennium" itself. Some tags have it spelled correctly, while others—the ones that sent collectors into a tailspin—spelled it "Millenium" (with one 'n').
It wasn't just the spelling. The September 24th Beanie Baby tag date often gets mixed up with the actual release or the name of the bear. The Millennium bear was actually released on January 1, 1999, to commemorate the upcoming new year. So why is the birthday in 1998? That’s just how Ty did birthdays. The birthday on the tag is rarely the release date; it’s just a whimsical detail assigned to the character.
There's a lot of noise online. You've probably seen those eBay listings. $5,000! $10,000! "RARE ERROR TAG!" It's mostly bunk. Just because someone lists a purple bear for the price of a used Honda doesn't mean anyone is actually buying it. In reality, the Millennium bear was mass-produced in staggering quantities. Ty knew the demand was there, so they flooded the zone. Millions of these bears exist.
The Copper vs. Gold Ribbon Debate
If you’re looking at your bear right now, check the ribbon. Most Millennium bears—the ones with that September 24th birthday—have a copper-colored ribbon around their neck. It’s a metallic, brownish-gold. However, there are versions with a brighter, more yellow-gold ribbon.
Does it matter? To a hardcore collector, maybe. To the average person with a bin in the attic, not really. The "value" in Beanie Babies today is driven by extreme scarcity, not minor ribbon shades. The Millennium bear was the definitive "mass market" Beanie. It was everywhere. Hallmark stores, gas stations, airport gift shops.
Kinda wild, right? We treated these things like gold bars.
💡 You might also like: Easy recipes dinner for two: Why you are probably overcomplicating date night
The Reality of the Secondary Market and Tag Errors
Let's talk about the "Millenium" spelling mistake again because that's usually why people are searching for the September 24th Beanie Baby. There's a persistent myth that the misspelled tag is worth a fortune.
Here is the cold, hard truth: the misspelled tag is actually more common than the correctly spelled one in many production runs.
Ty’s quality control was... let’s call it "flexible." They churned these out so fast that errors became the norm. In the collector world, an error only adds value if it’s genuinely rare. If 500,000 bears have the same typo, the typo isn't a rarity. It’s just a typo.
- The "Gasport" vs. "Gosport" Error: Check the tush tag. Some say "Gasport" (a town in New York) instead of "Gosport" (in England). Again, super common.
- The Space After the Date: Some tags have a weird extra space before the exclamation point in the poem.
- The Tush Tag Year: Sometimes the swing tag says 1999 while the tush tag says 1998.
None of these are "retirement-level" mistakes. They are artifacts of a manufacturing process that was trying to keep up with a global obsession. If you have a Millennium bear with a September 24th birthday and a misspelled tag, you have a cool piece of 90s nostalgia. You probably don't have a down payment for a house.
The Psychology of the 1999 Beanie Craze
Why were we like this? In 1999, the world was nervous about Y2K. We thought computers would crash and airplanes would fall out of the sky. In that climate, a soft, purple bear felt safe. It felt like a collectible that would bridge the gap between the 20th and 21st centuries.
Ty Warner was a master of artificial scarcity. By "retiring" bears, he created a panic. But with the Millennium bear, the strategy shifted. It was a celebratory release. Everyone wanted a piece of the new millennium. Because everyone bought one, everyone kept one. And because everyone kept them in mint condition with tag protectors, the supply stayed high. High supply equals low price. Economics 101.
How to Actually Value Your Millennium Bear
If you’re looking to sell your September 24th Beanie Baby, you need to be realistic. Professional authenticators like Becky’s Beanie Babies (now Becky's True Blue Beans) or Peggy Gallagher were the gold standard back in the day. They would look at the stitching, the fabric, and the stamp inside the tush tag.
📖 Related: How is gum made? The sticky truth about what you are actually chewing
The "stamp" is a big deal. Inside the tush tag, there’s often a small red stamp with a number. This indicates the factory where it was made. Collectors used to hunt for specific factory numbers, believing some were higher quality or "truer" to the original design.
Honestly, most Millennium bears sell for $5 to $15 today. Maybe $20 if it's absolutely pristine with a "Made in Indonesia" tag (which is slightly rarer than the "Made in China" ones). If you see a listing for $2,000, look at the "Sold" listings on eBay, not the "Active" ones. Anyone can ask for a million dollars. Getting it is the hard part.
The Rarity Outliers
Are there any valuable ones?
Sure. If you have a prototype. If you have a version that was never meant to reach the public. But if you bought yours at a retail store in 1999, it’s a standard production model.
The most valuable Beanies are the ones from the very first generations—the ones with the "skinny" tags and no gold star on the heart. By the time the Millennium bear and its September 24th birthday arrived, Ty was in the 5th generation of swing tags. These were the mass-produced years.
Actionable Steps for Beanie Owners
So, you’ve dug through the closet and found the purple bear. What now? Don't just toss it back in the dark.
First, check the tush tag for the stamp. Look for a number inside the loop of the tag. If there is no stamp, it might be an earlier production run, which is slightly better for value.
👉 See also: Curtain Bangs on Fine Hair: Why Yours Probably Look Flat and How to Fix It
Second, look at the "Millennium" spelling. If it's spelled correctly, you actually have one of the slightly "corrected" versions. If it's spelled "Millenium," you have the "error" version that isn't really an error.
Third, evaluate the condition. Is the heart tag creased? Is the hologram on the tush tag (if it has one) scratched? Any scent of cigarette smoke or basement mustiness kills the value instantly.
Fourth, ignore the hype. Don't get sucked into TikTok videos or "get rich quick" articles claiming your Beanie is a gold mine. Those creators are usually looking for clicks, not providing historical accuracy.
If you want to sell it, your best bet is to bundle it with other bears. Collectors often buy "lots" rather than single bears. Or, better yet, give it to a kid. They are, after all, toys. The joy a five-year-old gets from a purple bear is worth way more than the $8 you’ll get on eBay after shipping and fees.
The September 24th Beanie Baby isn't a lottery ticket. It’s a time capsule. It represents a moment in history when we all collectively decided that small polyester pellets and purple fabric were the future of finance. It’s a fun story, a bit of a weird mystery, and a great reminder of the power of a good marketing department.
Check your tags, look for the copper ribbon, and keep your expectations grounded. The true value is in the nostalgia.
Next Steps for Your Collection:
- Verify the Tush Tag: Check for a red stamp inside the loop of the tush tag; numbers like 400, 401, or 450 indicate different Chinese factories.
- Compare Ribbon Tones: Hold your bear in natural light to see if the ribbon is "Copper" or "Gold"—the copper is the standard for the September 24th birthday version.
- Audit eBay "Sold" Listings: Always filter by "Sold" and "Completed" items to see the actual market price, which usually sits between $5 and $12 for this specific bear.
- Inspect the Hologram: If your bear has a holographic tush tag, ensure it is clear and not peeling; tags from 1999 were among the first to use this anti-counterfeit measure.