1966 Topps Batman Batmans Coffin #13B Raw Batman Blue Bat B Series

Description

1966 Topps Batman Batmans Coffin #13B Raw Batman Blue Bat B Series A coffin, a vampire, and the Dark Knight in free fall. This is the 1966 Topps Batman Batmans Coffin #13B Raw Batman Blue Bat B Series, card number 13 of the 44 card B Series, and one of the most gothic illustrations in an entire set built around the 1966 television show. Batman is shown tumbling from an open casket while a grinning pale figure with pointy ears clutches the lid, swords glittering behind them against a red and yellow backdrop. The scene comes from the story on the back, in which Bruce Wayne's European friend warned him that his castle was menaced by vampires, only for the threat to prove a pair of human beings in disguise who nonetheless nearly ended the Caped Crusader. It is the kind of campy horror that the 60s show did better than almost anyone else, and the coffin image gives the card an instantly readable hook. Topps issued this 44 card Batman B Series 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 dominating the Sunday evening lineup. 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, identifying the Toronto Card and Game Company as the printer. For buyers, that clarification matters, because 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 vampire storyline is a great reminder that 1960s Batman was not afraid of horror, and the coffin scene gives this card a mood that the Joker and Penguin cards do not match. Batman's coffin has become a recognizable image in its own right, and the card benefits from one of the strongest color combinations in the set, the black suit, the pale vampire face, and the hot red and yellow background. Market context helps frame the value here. The 1966 Topps Batman set has appreciated steadily for two decades, the Black Bat version of the #1 The Batman is now a six figure card, and even entry grade Blue Bat singles have moved into double digits. Collectors building a vintage DC villain collection often start with the more affordable Blue Bat cards like this #13B, and the gothic art makes it a natural pick for display cases, 60s themed rooms, and any shelf devoted to the original series. the front carries one long thin white scratch running vertically through the center from the coffin handle to the lower edge, plus a few short scratches across the coffin lid. The upper left corner is worn with whitening, the upper right corner shows light edge wear, the lower left corner has a small chip, and the lower right corner is rounded and worn. The outer margins are whitened on all four sides, while the image colors remain strong and the card sits straight with even centering inside the blue border. The reverse shows a faint vertical crease through the upper art panel, a white scuff with a small surface tear on the orange coffin art at the lower right, a frayed and whitened lower edge, rounded corners, and a small nick on the upper left edge. 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 clean art and straight card pull the grade up, but the center scratch and the back tear keep this copy at a conservative raw VG-EX 4. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4