Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beanie Babies

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just got started collecting, and this book has given me all the background information on what to expect. It's impossible for any book to keep up to date with the actual Beanies, but you won't find a better guide to the hobby itself.

Some many books on BBs are simply price lists or have a very limited period of usefulness. This one is different and will be my reference of choice. There is no way to predict what Ty will do, but this is the book that can track what has happened to date. The section on spotting counterfeits is invaluable and has saved me from making a couple of costly mistakes. I also got some chuckles from the creatively posed beanies in the nice color photos. Right after reading my own copy, I immediately sent a copy to my beanie-crazed young nieces.

This is a great book about BEANIE BABIES! This is especialy good for beginner collectors. It teaches you special facts about the beanies and how to collect them. I think if you like beanie babies you should deffintly get this book!!!!!!!!

The only reason that I don't give this five stars is because I do not actually collect beanie babies (ooh! heresy!). I do have a *few* for *holiday decoration purposes*. And that's it. Really.

But back to the book. I happen to know it was written under a tight deadline and I'm most impressed with the result.

Each and every Beanie Babie (at time of publication) is thoroughly profiled. There is at least one B&W and one color photograph of each Beanie Baby. Each has a great discussion plus a painstaking dissection of the "variations" within each, if applicable (for example, Zip the cat). The notes are truly remarkable, and the newcomer can either take them as interesting anecdotes, or the hardcore collector as a convenient one-stop compendium of detailed information.

There are also more general chapters such as why one should collect (for the joy of it, of course), tips on buying and selling and explaining Ty's position on the secondary market. How to spot counterfeits. How to store the Beanie Babies. There is also an extensive index in the back to help you sort and inventory your own collection.

All in all, this book should be useful to both folks trying to figure out just what the heck all this fuss over Beanie Babies is about and to bona fide collectors interested in every detail about each Beanie.

--Cindy

This book is a great reference for Beanie collectors whether experienced or new. There is a lot of history and information about Beanies and some wonderful hints about how to be a smart collector, how to trade at Beanie shows, etc...

Beautiful photographs. Absolutely complete in every detail.

Especially exciting to me was an entire chapter on counterfeits and how to recognized them.

As a beginning collector, I did not know the difference between the real thing and a fraud. Thanks to this book I now know how to spot a real baby and know which mistakes are true! This book is easy to read and refer to. I carry it with me all the time. It's a must have for all collectors!

This is the book I've been waiting for. It has loads of information about Beanie collecting including explanations of some of the lingo I didn't really understand. Love the chapter on what to look for in counterfeit Beanies. Even has great display ideas.

This book has alot of really good information. I am a serios beanie collecter and there was info. i didn't even now. I recomend it to serios beanie collectors or any beanie collecter

I really liked this book because it had all kinds of odd information. There is more than 5 blurbs of different facts per page. It has how to avoid counterfits,facts about each beanie, and more. It even has a checklist with pictures. This is definatly the best Beanie Baby book I own. It is perfect for begginers and experienced Beanie collectors.

This book is a good attempt at being different from all of the other Beanie Baby books and guides. However, it is not that easy to read because the authors grouped the Beanies according to genre, not alphabetically. Black and white pictures were not all that useful. Some background information (but not a lot) sets this book apart from the rest of the pack. However, it makes little attempt at saying what makes a particular beanie baby popular or unpopular or with whom. A good guide to starting out in the hobby but not useful if you are already immersed.