In May 1998, Ty released Glory, much to the joy of Beanie Babies enthusiasts seeking a patriotic USA-themed addition to their collection. Prices for Glory bears soared during this peak era of Beanie Babies’ popularity.
Lots of retail stores price-gouged the initial release of Glory. I personally waited on line with my mom for close to 90 minutes to have the opportunity to pay $75 for a Glory. She bought it for me and it’s a lifelong memory for sure! The other new releases in this batch were still the normal $5 so this little pharmacy was 25x’ing the retail price.
Ty Warner hated this, by the way. He actually started a snitching program where you could report stores that did not honor the $5 retail price. Unfortunately, this was good intentioned but hard to actually enforce with thousands and thousands of small mom-and-pop stores selling Beanies across North America.
You might come across countereit versions of Glory with different font on the hang tag and sometimes even a different poem.
Style Number: 4188
Debut: May 30, 1998
Born: July 4, 1997
Hang Tag Generation: 5th Gen
Tush Tag Generation: 6th Gen
Poem:
Wearing the flag for all to see
Symbol of freedom for you and me
Red white and blue – Independence Day
Happy Birthday USA!
How Much Is Glory Worth
Glory never regained it’s release day value and today, it’s a super common Beanie Baby that holds no collectible / resale value.
Glory Variations / Special Releases
- 1998 MLB All Star Game (Colorado) Giveaway
- Upside Down USA Flag
- Ragtime on Broadway
