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Series 4 were first found on November
10th 1999 with first sightings again on the East coast. The format
of the series is very similar to Series 3 with the same basic
card groups. Numbering continues from where Series 3 left off,
but in the reverse order i.e. starting with commons and increasing
through the rarer cards. Gone though are the Tear-A-Bear and are
replaced by a Lenticular Action Card. As with all previous series,
Ty has autographed one of each card and as in the previous series,
the signature has a small clear Ty heart embossed on top of it.
There are a total of 164 distinct cards in this series.
Each pack contains a checklist, a sticker card,
an artists proof card and 7 other cards. Most of these are common
cards but some will be the more valuable chase cards. There are
a total of 10 types of cards in this Series:
Card Colors
One of the most confusing
things, for beginners and experts alike, is how to tell the color
of each of the cards. As in all previous series, Ty has changed
the colors and how that color is determined. For Series 4 the
colors are:
- Orange
- Purple
- Silver
- Gold
With Orange being the
easiest to find and Gold the rarest. For Series 4 there should
be only 100 of each of the Gold cards and they are all numbered.
However, there are quite a few unnumbered gold cards out there
and their values do not appear to be very high indicating that
quite a lot of them exist. How to tell the color of each card
type will be described in the relevant sections. The Retired,
Beanie/Buddy, Birthday
and Wild cards are colored
The
End Card
Oh what a treat Ty saved for the last card
(number 321) of the series and what turned out to be last series.
This card is a limited edition card and it comes in Gold only.
There are 400 of them and they are all signed. In addition each
card comes with a printers plate and certificate of authenticity.
While there are approximately equal numbers of each of
the 4 printers plates (Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow), they
do not appear to be tied in any way to the production number of
the card.
For those of you who cannot read teeny,
tiny print, this is what it says on the back of the printer's
plate.
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Congratulations!
You are one of the lucky recipients of a Limited Edition
The End Bear Collector's card. Only 400 of these cards
have been produced in Series 4, and each card is autographed
by TY. To authenticate the rarity of these Limited Edition
Collector's Cards, you are being provided with one of
400-issued "Printer's Plate" versions of The
End Bear Collector's Cards. Four "plates" are
required to print each card - one representing each of
the four process colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
This plate represents the **** tones used int the printing
of the original cards.
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There have been reports of some people finding the printers
plates but with no autographed card.
Retired
Cards
The Retired cards are not as shaped as they were in Series 3.
Only the upper left and lower right corners are rounded, with
the other two being square. Each card has a foil Retired Insignia
in the upper left quadrant of the card and it is the color of
this insignia that indicates the cards color. There are a total
of 10 retired cards numbered 311 to 320. All retired cards are
serial numbered on the back.
| # |
Card |
Orange |
Purple |
Silver |
Gold |
| 311 |
Ants |
9408 |
4704 |
2352 |
100 |
| 312 |
Blackie |
4704 |
2352 |
1176 |
100 |
| 313 |
Clubby |
11760 |
5880 |
2940 |
100 |
| 314 |
Coral |
4704 |
2352 |
1176 |
100 |
| 315 |
Curly |
11760 |
5880 |
2940 |
100 |
| 316 |
Fetch |
14112 |
7056 |
3528 |
100 |
| 317 |
Nanook |
9408 |
4704 |
2352 |
100 |
| 318 |
Nibbly |
18816 |
9408 |
4704 |
100 |
| 319 |
Pounce |
14112 |
7056 |
3528 |
100 |
| 320 |
Rainbow |
18816 |
9408 |
4704 |
100 |
Classic
Common Cards
The Classic common cards are any but common.
With the odds of finding one of these at 1 in 24 packs, you should
get only 1 per box. There are a total of 10 classic common cards
in series 4 and are marked with "classic common" in shiny gold
letters. They are called Classic commons because they are the
same format of card as used in Series 1 and 2 cards. They are
numbered 301 to 310.
Beanie/Buddy
Cards
There are a total of 16 Beanie / Buddy cards
in 8 matches pairs. Unlike Series 3 they are not clear cards but
has a mirrored finish to them. They come in 4 colors, with the
color determined by the name of the Beanie or Buddy. Each Beanie
card has a wavy right hand edge that matches with the corresponding
Buddy, which has a wavy left hand edge. They are numbered 285
to 300. The most difficult of these to find are the Peanut and
Princess cards, the most common Fuzz and Schweetheart
Birthday
Cards
There are 12 Birthday/Rookie cards that are
in a landscape orientation. The name of the Beanie is on the left
side of the card and on the right is an arc of solid color. It
is the color of this arc that determines the cards color. All
card colors have the Birthday printed in silver. Beanies that
were introduced in 1999 have a yellow Rookie oval on them. They
are numbered 273 to 284. All birthday cards have about the same
probability of being found.
Wild
cards
There are a total of 15 Wild cards. All cards
have a blue border. The color of the card is determined by the
Beanies name at the bottom of the card. On the back are printed
wild facts about the Beanie. The cards are numbered 258 to 272
and all are in about equal production ratios.
Common
and Artist's Proof Cards
There are a total of 100 cards in the common
and AP sets. An artist proof card is distinguished from a regular
common by a small gold stamp on the right hand side of the card
that has the Ty logo overprinted with the words Artist's Proof.
Since each pack contains only 1 Artist's proof and about 7 common
cards, the AP cards are quite a bit more valuable. It does appear
as though the same common cards that are rare are equally rare
in the AP form. Card numbers are from 158 to 257 and both the
commons and Artist Proofs share the same numbers.
Stickers
There are a total of 25 different sticker cards.
These cards are supposed to glow in the dark, but they don't seem
to do so for me. Each sticker is of a single Beanie and the sticker
is the entire card with the exception of the "Glow in the Dark"
label at the bottom. On the back of the card is the outline of
the Beanie so that you can color it yourself. These are great
for the younger collector !!
Issued
Cards
In each case of cards, which contains 6 boxes,
is an Issued card. It is contained within a 4 screw down holder
and the card itself is partially clear. There are two different
Issued cards for June 15, 1996 and three different issued cards
for Jan. 7, 1996. They are marked as ? of 2 or ? of 3 respectively.
Lenticular
Cards
These cards are a new addition for series 4
and there is 1 in every sealed box. The card is about 4 1/4 inches
square. As you twist or turn the card, the image of the Beanie
moves. There are a total of 12 of these cards.
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