Princess Diana Beanie Baby Value: It's $5–20, Not $500,000
The Princess Diana Beanie Baby sells for $5 to $20. That's the honest answer, and it's the same answer whether yours has PVC pellets, PE pellets, a "no space" tag or came from Indonesia. The rarest first-run version, with every marker collectors look for and in mint condition, sells for about $100 to $200. The listings asking $500,000 or a million dollars are not sales. They've been sitting there for years, and nobody has ever paid anything like that. Here's why the myth exists, what the versions actually are, and how to check yours.
Why everyone thinks it's worth a fortune
Ty released "Princess," a purple bear with a white rose, in October 1997, two months after Diana's death, with profits going to her memorial fund. Three things happened that created the legend:
- Ty limited the first shipments. Stores were initially allowed to order only 12 bears each. That scarcity, combined with the grief and the news coverage, made it feel like a limited edition. Within weeks, bears were reselling for $300 to $400.
- Then Ty made millions of them. Production ran until 1999, and the bear was anything but scarce. A collector who's studied it put it plainly to the Today show: there were so many made that they are never going to be rare.
- eBay listings went viral. From around 2015 onward, news sites and social media kept sharing listings priced at $25,000, $500,000 and more. The listings were real. The sales never happened. Anyone can ask any price on eBay; the number only means something when someone pays it.
If you filter eBay to Sold items, the picture is clear: ordinary Princess bears sell for $5 to $20, often in lots of several bears for less than that each.
The versions, and why they barely matter
Collectors have identified differences between the earliest production runs and the later ones. The markers people mention:
- PVC pellets vs PE pellets. The tush tag says which. The earliest bears used PVC; Ty switched to PE pellets in 1998. PVC is the earlier, scarcer kind.
- "No space" swing tag. On the first tags, there's no blank line between the poem and the line about the Diana memorial fund. Later tags have a space.
- Made in Indonesia vs China. The earliest bears were made in Indonesia.
- "Ghost version." A nickname some sellers use for a bear with all the early markers. It's not an official Ty term and it isn't a different bear.
A bear with all the early markers, in mint condition with a perfect heart tag, is the one that sells for $100 to $200 to the small number of collectors who care. A bear with some of the markers, or any wear, sells for the ordinary $5 to $20. There is no version that sells for thousands, and the eBay "ghost" listings in the six and seven figures have never sold.
Condition
What little premium there is depends on the tags:
- Heart-shaped swing tag still attached, with no creases, no price-sticker residue and the plastic tag protector if it had one.
- Tush tag clean and legible.
- Fur clean, with no fading on the purple (sun does this), and the rose intact.
A bear with the swing tag cut off is a $2 to $5 bear no matter which version it is.
How to check yours
- Read the tush tag for the pellet type and the country.
- Look at the swing tag for the space (or no space) between the poem and the memorial-fund line.
- Search "Princess Diana Beanie Baby" on eBay, filter to Sold items, and look at the last 20 sales. Ignore the one odd result far above the rest; look at where most of them land.
The Valued app will identify a Beanie Baby from a photo and give you a starting estimate, which is a fast way through a whole bag of them. For the broader picture, see are Beanie Babies worth anything, and for how to check any collectible, our guide to finding out what an antique is worth.
Common questions
How much is a Princess Diana Beanie Baby worth in 2026?
$5 to $20 for a typical bear in good condition with its tags. The rarest early version in mint condition sells for about $100 to $200. No version sells for thousands.
Is the Princess Diana Beanie Baby with PVC pellets rare?
PVC pellets mark the earliest production run, which is scarcer than the later PE-pellet bears. But Ty made a great many even in that first run, and it adds tens of dollars to the price, not thousands.
Why is the Princess Diana Beanie Baby listed for $500,000?
Because anyone can list anything at any price. Those listings have been online for years without selling, and news stories about them kept the myth going. Check sold prices, not asking prices.
Should I keep it?
Keep it if you like it. It isn't going to become valuable; the collectors who wanted one bought one years ago, and the supply isn't going anywhere.