The Lucky Erin Bear is the most overlooked piece in the entire hobby! No, really, before seeing this post, had you ever heard of this piece? Had you ever SEEN this piece? It hasn’t been kept a secret. The piece’s existence has been wide out in the open for over 20 years…
Here’s the story. When Ty gave out the Ty #1 Rep bear to his sales reps in 1998, it was the hottest beanie to ever grace the hobby. Only 253 of this unique bear were made – signed by Ty. However, employees who had been with the company for fewer than 60 days did not receive a #1 rep bear. Conceivably, Ty perhaps felt they hadn’t earned a #1 rep bear yet, or he simply didn’t have time to make more of the original rep bear for new hires ahead of the holiday party where these were distributed on 11.14.98 (party pictures below!).
The new reps with fewer than 60 days of experience on the job received a “Lucky Erin Bear” to wish them good fortune on their new journey at Ty. The bear is similar to the production version, with a few key distinctions. The Lucky Erin bears had a distinctive BROWN nose (regular production examples had BLACK noses). These special bears also came with a white ribbon and were signed by Ty in red.
Ironically, at the time, the reps who received this bear, we heard, were none too pleased. Perhaps feeling they had received an inferior bear compared to other veteran reps. All of the attention was focused on the shining red #1 bear that was an entirely fresh piece. Funny how the tables have turned. You will see dozens of #1 rep bears before you see a single Lucky Erin Bear.
Rarity Tier: GHOST Rare
Multiple reports from rep attendees say only a handful of this bear went out to reps. Testament to this is the fact that ZERO have ever been seen to hit auction. True Blue Beans had only seen one example in 20 years. It wasn’t until recently that a couple of these bears were tracked down from their rep owners. Information about these bears has been out there since the beginning! See the below article from Beanie Mania April 1999:
Drum Roll….a genuine Lucky Erin Bear!
Rarest Beans 