As the series II anniversary beanies continued their debut, so did their rollout in the UK! The UK actually saw Zip II hit the stage before Signature II (2023) with Patti II and Peace II in July 2023. The rarer 1 of 30 tagged pieces were distributed differently. Pieces were awarded directly from Ty UK/Germany’s social team. Winning these pieces was the primary path to securing an example. The pieces won via contest came sealed in a numbered bag with the number of their limited hang tag also printed/matching on the bag they arrived in, complete with card including the other styles in their respective release series.
Now – unique to this release, a few low numbered examples were generously given out by Ty UK to individuals who had missed out on the series 2 limited pieces from the prior release. Those pieces did not come in sealed bag + card, but instead came with a special note from Ty UK with warmest compliments. We have photos of all three contest pieces (with permission from recipients), and an example of a Peace bear (3/30) + note given to a recipient after they missed out of the series II release at Hamleys.
Rarity Tier: Elite Rare
Existing notes on rarity for prior series’ carry over for series 3, but with a different twist. Unlike prior series releases, all of these pieces were awarded directly to collectors/ty fans (not purchased by resellers) – some of whom have kept their pieces sealed in original bags, others have opened their pieces to display/play with. We even know a Zip that was enjoyed by a pet puppy after he was swiped from the sofa! Now, assembling a set of these pieces is a different challenge compared to series 1 and 2. Many recipients, at best, could win one piece per series, but at least pieces all went to knowing collectors. Some have chosen to keep their pieces, others have opted to trade or sell for other items/raise funds to grow their collections in other areas. We expect a few will surface here and there. But to be sure, these will likely remain extremely scarce treasures, and if interest remains high, could be among the most challenging pieces to secure.
Rarest Beans 