A couple bought a Beanie Baby for £10 at a car boot sale - and later realised it was worth £62,500.

Leah Rogers and Ryan Flanaghan were selling a range of toys at the boot sale in Bude, Cornwall, when they spotted the purple teddy at another seller's stall.

As a former collector, Mr Flanaghan, 22, recognised the bear as a limited edition Princess Diana Di Beanie Baby - one of the most sought after in the collection which can be worth thousands of pounds.

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Leah Rogers and Ryan Flanaghan (pictured together left) picked up a rare purple Beanie Baby for £10 at a car boot sale in Bude, Cornwall - and later found out it was worth £62,500

The bear turned out to be one of just 100 made around the world, made in December 1997 for the Princess of Wales Memorial Trust. They are now selling it on eBay, with a starting bid of £20,000

But the builder was stunned to find out that the bear was one of just 100 made around the world - and that another version is currently listed on eBay for £62,500.

The pair are now hoping to sell the bear on the auction site and put the money towards a deposit for a house.

Miss Rogers, 20, a beauty therapist who lives in Launceston, Cornwall, said: 'We couldn't believe it. We picked it up for £10 and it could be worth tens of thousands.

'It's so hard for young people to get on the property ladder so we think this could really be a blessing.'

The pair had gone along to the car boot sale on Bank Holiday Monday with Mr Flanaghan's parents where they sold some of his old toys, including Beanie Babies.

Before putting the teddies in the pile, the couple looked online to check that none of the bears would count as collectors' items.

The pair, from Launceston, Cornwall, are now hoping the sale of the bear will give them a deposit for a house

While online, they read up about a Princess Diana Di Beanie Baby, which can sell for huge amounts.

The range was created in December 1997 - the year the princess died - to raise money for the Princess of Wales Memorial Trust. It includes a poem on the tag which refers to Diana as an 'angel'.

But even when he spotted the bear at another seller's stall, Mr Flanaghan had no idea whether it was a 'first edition' bear - which are incredibly rare - or a second edition, which sells for just £20.

They later discovered the bear was handmade in Indonesia in December 2007 with special PE pellets and wording on the tag, which refers to the Princess Of Wales Memorial Fund - all of which make it a first edition bear.

There is also a poem which reads: 'Like an angel she came from heaven above; she shared her compassion, her pain, her love; she only stayed with us long enough to teach the world to share, to give, to reach.'

Another first edition Diana bear, the same as the one belonging to Miss Rogers and Mr Flanaghan, is currently being listed on eBay for £62,500

Miss Rogers said: 'Ryan and his sister used to collect Beanie Babies so before we sold a load we just wanted check that they weren't worth anything.

'As we were looking, we saw that this purple bear was the rarest bear and it was going for around £20,000. We didn't think anything of it.

'But when we went to the car boot sale the next day, Ryan went off for a walk and came back clutching this bag. He said: "It's that bear that we saw on the internet last night".'

The couple put it up for auction last night, with a starting bid of £20,000.

A spokesman for Beanie fan club Ty Collector said only a handful of people know how many Process Bears were produced.