Mel the Beanie Baby Value & Tag Guide

Release facts

Animal

Koala

Category

Animals

Introduced

1997

Ty style number

4162

Ty birth date

Jan 15, 1996

Catalogue

Curated original era (1993–1999)

Documented sold prices

No completed sales are on file for Mel yet. We only publish sales we have actually recorded, so this section stays empty rather than filling up with asking prices. See price trends for beanies that do have a sales record.

Mel for sale on BeanieXchange

These are asking prices on current listings, not sale prices. They are what sellers want today; the section above is what buyers have paid.

• Ty Beanie Baby Mel the Koala 1997 Style #4162 Vintage Rare

  $10.00 · Good vintage condition — full photos coming soon

Which tag generation should Mel have?

Mel was introduced in 1997, so the earliest swing tag it can legitimately carry is a 4th generation tag. Later generations are normal — popular beanies stayed in production for years — but an earlier generation than the release means a swapped tag, a misidentified beanie, or a fake.

• 4th generation (current on new releases 1996–1997)Release tag

  The star reads 'BEANIE ORIGINAL BABY' and the inside gains the beanie's birth date and its poem.

• 5th generation (current on new releases 1998–1999)

  Narrower 'ty' lettering and a slimmer typeface inside; the Ty web address is referenced.

• 6th generation (current on new releases 1999–2000)

  A holographic/foil star in place of the flat gold one.

• 7th generation and later (current on new releases 2000 onward)

  Post-2000 tag styles, including the later hologram and authenticator variants.

Tag-generation year windows are collector consensus and overlap at the edges, because Ty changed tags mid-production run. The physical tag is always the authority — and before you pay a premium for an “error” tag, read which tag errors actually matter.

How to spot a fake Mel

• Tag generation vs. release year. Mel was introduced in 1997, so the earliest swing tag it can legitimately carry is a 4th generation tag. An example offered with an earlier-generation tag has had a tag swapped onto it, is a different beanie, or is fake.
• Pellet type. Ty used PVC pellets on early production and switched to PE pellets around 1998. A pre-1998 release that is filled with PE pellets is a later run at best — it is not the early example its tag may claim to be.
• Style number. The tush tag and the inside of the swing tag should both read style 4162. A mismatch between the two tags is one of the most common fake tells.
• Birth date. The inside of a 4th-generation or later tag should read Jan 15, 1996. Fakes frequently get the poem right and the date wrong.
• Tag print quality. Genuine swing tags are printed on stiff, glossy card with crisp edges on the star and clean, evenly spaced type. Fuzzy edges, bleeding ink, or type that sits at a slight angle are reprint tells.
• Tush tag. Check the font weight and spacing, the position of the ® and ™ marks, and that the stated country of manufacture is one Ty actually used for this era.
• Documented errors only. Tag misspellings are only valuable when they are a known, documented Ty error. An undocumented 'error' is far more likely to be a counterfeiter's mistake than a find.
• Construction. Seams should be machine-stitched, tight and even, with symmetric eye and nose placement and no glue. Loose or glued features are a strong fake signal.
• Fabric and color. Over-bright, over-fuzzy, or plasticky fabric on a supposed 1990s release usually means a modern reproduction.

Checks that need the item in hand are exactly what our authentication process performs. More background in the rarity guide and beanie info.