1966 Topps Batman The Penguin #28B Raw Batman Blue Bat B Series

Description

1966 Topps Batman The Penguin #28B Raw Batman Blue Bat B Series A cement truck, a wall of wet concrete rising like a curtain, and the Dynamic Duo facing their own encasement. That is the 1966 Topps Batman The Penguin #28B Raw Batman Blue Bat B Series, card number 28 of the 44 card B Series, and one of the more inventive villain schemes in the entire set. The front banner reads Concrete Conquest, and the illustration layers the cement truck in the upper left, the spreading concrete in the center, and Batman bracing in the foreground, with a small figure of the Penguin visible in the distance directing the operation. The back story fills in the plot, the wily Penguin encasing Batman and Robin in concrete, with the Bat laser ultimately saving the Dynamic Duo from destruction. It is a mechanical, gadgety scheme that fits the 60s show perfectly, and the layered composition makes the card busy and fun to look at up close. This 44 card B Series was issued by Topps in 1966 under license from National Periodical Publications, Inc., the copyright holder of the Batman properties, while the Adam West and Burt Ward series was still defining the pop culture landscape of the decade. The set was printed in three border variations, the Black Bat, the Red Bat, and the Blue Bat, and this copy wears the Blue Bat frame. Canadian printing is confirmed by the T. C. G. PTD. IN CANADA mark along the right edge of the reverse, which identifies the Toronto Card and Game Company as the printer. To be explicit for buyers, this is a Topps card with a Canadian printing mark, and it is not an O-Pee-Chee bilingual back. The reverse follows the standard story back layout of the series, with the title, a short synopsis, the collect all 44 line, and a large cropped art panel, the design that modern checklists call the puzzle back. The Penguin is one of the great recurring villains of the Batman television era, and the concrete trap is the kind of elaborate scheme that kept the 66 show feeling fresh episode after episode. Vintage Penguin cards have a steady following, and they benefit from the broader surge in 1960s pop culture collecting, from the renewed interest in the original series to the continued popularity of the character across the modern film and streaming adaptations. The 1966 Topps Batman set has appreciated steadily for two decades, with the Black Bat version of the #1 The Batman now a six figure card, while the Blue Bat variations like this #28B remain an affordable way to own a piece of the era. The layered composition of the Concrete Conquest art, with the truck, the concrete, and the heroes all visible at once, also makes the card a strong display piece in a case of 60s Batman. the front shows thin white surface scratches, one in the upper right above the banner, one crossing Robin's face, and a small scratch through the center of the art. The corners are rounded with light edge wear, the outer margins are whitened and slightly frayed, and the lower left edge is a little rough. The colors remain good across the green, red, and blue palette, and the card sits straight with even centering inside the border. The reverse carries a blue ballpoint pen squiggle in the story area to the left of the 28B badge, a vertical crease on the right side of the art panel, light scuffs on the yellow BAT lettering art, a small nick on the upper right edge, rounded corners, and whitened edges. The story text is 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 pen mark and the edge wear keep this copy at a conservative raw VG-EX 4. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4