I found an extremely rare Princess Diana Beanie Baby at Goodwill for only $9.98 – but it was actually worth so much more

A WOMAN has found an extremely rare Princess Diana Beanie Baby for just $9.98 – but it’s actually worth a lot more.

The bargain hunter, known as @fauxyoureyesonly, shared how she made the royal find while perusing the shelves at Goodwill.

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She filmed the moment she spotted the iconic special-edition plushie, which was released in October 1997, just months after Diana’s death.

The adorable purple bear with a white rose on his chest and a purple ribbon around his neck sat alongside his standard beanie baby pals.

The TikToker was audibly shocked by what she stumbled upon after recently discovering they could be worth a fortune.

She says: “I’ve heard this one’s worth the money…probably it really isn’t, but.

“Oh my God! That’s it! I had a feeling it was. I’ve seen a lot of similar TikToks lately talking about Beanie Babies and how worthless they are, except for just a few.

“I want to say that this was one of those that were worth more than usual.”

She takes a closer look at the Beanie Baby before prying open the protective cover to confirm if it was the rare one.

To their delight, the tiny tag on the plushie revealed that it was indeed one of the bears dedicated to beloved Diana.

They originally sold for around $5 to $7 each, with proceeds going to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.

Due to the limited number of bears, their scarcity made them a prized commodity among collectors.

However, the purple mascot’s value will be judged on a case-by-case basis, as they all have “a nuance that would make them different.”

According to antiques appraiser Lori Verderame, the smallest detail can diminish the value of a historical toy.

The filling, the country of origin and any discrepancies with its characteristics must be examined intensively to determine its value.

Lori told People: “There’s a very long laundry list. It’s like one big algebra problem. The collectors made it so complex.”

The Princess Diana Beanie Baby is also a lot easier to find these days as the company eventually increased production to keep up with high demand.

Sellers on eBay are offering the toy between $45 and a whopping $1 million.

But Lori thinks a plush in mint condition could go for a more modest crowd — while still leaving a few zeros at the end.

She added: “Some could be worth thousands.

“I’ve seen a lot of them that cost more than thousands of dollars. Easily five figures.”

The Purple Bears experienced a value boost in August 2022 as the world mourned the 25th anniversary of Diana’s death.

Unfortunately, the TikToker revealed in the caption that she left the small fortune on the shelf.

@fauxyoureyesonly wrote, “Wish I’d ended up getting this Beanie Baby…it turns out to be worth so much!”

Her 3,000 followers were just as disappointed that she left the bear behind – but others have criticized her handling of the rare item.

Some also said they also owned one of the Beanie Babies, but it wasn’t worth as much as the woman might have thought.

One wrote: “Bro be careful with that bear he’s worth more than your car!”

Another said: “Why wouldn’t you buy it! It’s only a few bucks, take a chance. Great find!”

And a third wrote: “I have one in mint condition that I have been trying to sell for over 6 months. Nobody wants to pay more than $5 for it.”

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