1966 Topps Batman The Neanderthal #14B WHAM Raw Batman Blue Bat B Series

Description

1966 Topps Batman The Neanderthal #14B WHAM Raw Batman Blue Bat B Series WHAM. One word, a caveman windmilling a club, and the Dynamic Duo caught in the crossfire. This is the 1966 Topps Batman The Neanderthal #14B WHAM Raw Batman Blue Bat B Series, card number 14 of the 44 card B Series, and the most instantly recognizable piece of art in the entire set. The giant white WHAM lettering cutting diagonally across the frame is pure 1960s trading card energy, and it is the reason this card tends to draw the eye in any display case. The back story sets the scene perfectly, with Robin spotting a fierce looking caveman prowling near the camp and Batman having to decide fast whether to act in time to save the Boy Wonder. It is a scene of prehistoric action that fits the campy adventure tone of the era, and it is the card most buyers look for when they shop the 1966 Batman set. Topps issued this 44 card Batman B Series in 1966 under license from National Periodical Publications, Inc., the copyright holder of the Batman properties, at the peak of the second Batman boom driven by the Adam West and Burt Ward television series. The set was produced in three border variations, the Black Bat, the Red Bat, and the Blue Bat, and this copy is the Blue Bat version. The T. C. G. PTD. IN CANADA marking along the right edge of the reverse identifies the Toronto Card and Game Company as the printer, so this is a Canadian printed Topps card. For buyers, that clarification matters, because this is not an O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, and the reverse is English only. The back follows the classic story back layout of the series, with the title, a short synopsis, the collect all 44 line, and a large color art panel, the design that modern checklists call the puzzle back. The WHAM card is the poster child of the 1966 Topps Batman set, and its popularity is easy to understand, because the diagonal sound effect balloon is one of the most dynamic compositions Topps ever printed for a superhero line. The caveman adversary is also a character that has never left the Batman mythos, with the Neanderthal and his tribe showing up again and again across the decades of comics. The market has noticed the appeal too. While the Black Bat version of the set, and especially the #1 The Batman, now commands the big auction numbers, the Blue Bat variations trade at a fraction of the price, which makes this #14B one of the most affordable ways to own the set's most famous image. Collectors who are building a vintage pop culture shelf, a 60s themed room, or a Batman villain collection tend to treat the WHAM card as a cornerstone piece, and demand for it has only grown as the 1960s nostalgia wave continues to roll through the hobby. the front shows a diagonal crease running from the middle left edge to the lower right corner, crossing the WHAM balloon and Batman's chest, along with a faint secondary crease at the upper left and a white horizontal scratch across Robin's leg on the right side. The lower left edge has a small nick, all four corners are rounded with light edge wear, the outer margins are whitened, and the green background has yellowed slightly while the blacks and reds stay strong. The reverse carries a horizontal crease across the middle of the art panel, a thin scratch at the upper right of the art, a faint pencil X mark above the 14B badge, rounded corners, and whitened edges, while the story text remains fully legible. This is the classic story back, a Canadian printing marked T. C. G. PTD. IN CANADA, and not an O-Pee-Chee bilingual back. The card is straight and the WHAM lettering is crisp, but the crease and the back marks keep this copy at a conservative raw VG-EX 4, which we consider fair for an eye catching card of this quality. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4