COMC Order: ALL THE 1966 BATMAN

I placed an order with COMC way, way back during their Black Friday promotion. I'm just super slow in posting, obviously. The cards arrived about two weeks earlier than they estimated and it was my largest order to date with them, from a quantity perspective. I picked up a few cards for a fellow blogger and the lot of mostly 1966 Batman cards you see below.

I knocked off 17 Red Bat Series needs. I am closest on that set so I decided to focus the entire order on getting that as close to completion as possible.

I am disappointed in whomever pulled my cards at COMC headquarters as they clearly did not pay attention to the condition I ordered. I made sure to order cards without creases based on their scans and some of these have creases I would have clearly seen. It's not a set I'm very condition-picky on (that holds true for the Blue and Black Bat Series as well) but for the price they had them at I was not going for anything less than VG-EX. There's really no point in complaining to them though as I doubt they'd do anything about it.

I'm ~57% of the way to finishing the Red and much further behind on the others.

Finally, I wanted to add one more card to my collection and this seemed appropriate after hearing about the passing of Jose Fernandez. It's just a tremendous card as so many newer Stadium Club offerings are. Everything about it just epitomizes who Jose was from everything I've read and heard about him.

Urias, Jose Fernandez, Carlos Correa, and '66 Batman: Cards From Mike

I recently received a handful of cool cards from the ever-generous Mike.

Julio should be a really, really good one. This Heritage RC is fantastic.

A couple cool rookies featuring guys I enjoy watching. I've low-key wanted that Correa for some time, for whatever reason. I just like it.

BATMAN!!! Last but certainly not least, here are a couple of needed additions to my Red Bat '66 Batman set.

1966 Batman Black Bat Set Additions

I wanted to give a big thanks to my great friend and coworker Mike who passed along these four new additions to my pursuit of the 1966 Topps Batman Black Bat set. The three Batman sets I'm working on are just a labor of love as the sets are supremely cool so condition doesn't matter to me as long as the card isn't so thrashed that it's unrecognizable.

Penguin Captured narrowly edges Batman Strikes! as my favorite of the quartet.

The backs of the Black Bat series are definitely the best of the bunch even though the puzzle backs of the Red and Blue series are pretty cool themselves.

My 1st COMC Purchase: Batman, Bison, Hockey, and Pre-War British Tobacco!

I recently received my first COMC buy in the mail. I had been building up a cache of cards for almost a couple years and did so entirely through credit earned by completing challenges COMC offered after their breakup with Beckett.

BATMAN cardboard! I've discussed my love of these before and I couldn't resist picking up this great shot of a "Cycling Crusader" for a wee bit of COMC credit. The artwork on these cards is just spectacular and then some. This is from the Red Bat A Series released in 1966.

I'm beyond tempted to slowly put together this Red Bat set as it's only 44 cards deep and I now have six cards without putting in much effort.

MORE BATMAN! Here's the "Concrete Conquest" card from the B Series Blue Bat issue, also out of the year that was 1966. It's another 44-card set and although it's my first Blue Bat piece of cardboard I might just have to give it a go as well. Again, the artwork on this bad boy is just amazingly impeccable.

The '66 Black Bat set is a bit tricky at 55 cards but it's doable.

The colorful and puzzled Batman backs.

Despite the extra-large scan this beaut is a mini from 2005 Bowman Heritage and a Bison I somehow had never gotten my hands on. It sat on my Want List forever and I finally decided to change that. I dig everything about it, down to Matty sporting number 44.

I must give a big thanks to shoeboxlegends for making me aware of this beautiful piece of cardboard's existence. Teemu is synonymous with Ducks' history and this is all sorts of amazingly awesome. Gaudy is the best word to describe it and after seeing sbl post I immediately went and added it to this batch of COMC cards.

The back is somehow more reserved despite the color and font.

Rakell! Rakell would be priority 1A for me this offseason if I was Ducks' GM, basically in a tie with Hampus Lindholm. Both are Restricted Free Agents and I only prioritize Ricky because the Ducks' have done a much better job at drafting and developing d-men over the last handful of years. Both need to be signed long-term though and I believe both will be.

I wanted to add Rakell's Young Guns RC for the nice game shot and affordability.

This card has captivated me for years. It hails from the absolutely stunning UD Masterpieces of 2008 and the canvas shot of LT -- who in my humble opinion is the greatest running back of all-time -- is a classic and unique one showcasing his passing ability. Much like the pitchers batting pictures we all love this oddball photo UD chose instantly drew me to the card.

Tomlinson could do it all, excelling not just in carrying the ball but in catching passes from the backfield and split out wide, blocking, and throwing as he was 8 for 12 in his career with 7 TD tosses.

British tobacco cards allow me the opportunity to link to one of my favorite scenes from any TV show ever. That Yorkshire card was also a COMC addition for the aforementioned shoeboxlegends although this time it's a mere coincidence we both added this pre-war tobacco card to our respective carts. I nabbed it way back on January 5th of 2015 for some reason that now eludes me and it waited patiently for me to complete my order.

Yorkshire cakes is just a funny phrase which probably explains why I liked it. That and it was a lonely dollar to purchase. A dollar of store credit earned through challenges. Basically, a what the hell buy.

The rest of this COMC batch of goodies will be written up and scanned in the upcoming weeks.

My 1st Card Show: The Damage.

I attended a card show Saturday in my neck of the woods, the first card show I've ever been to. It was promoted as a heavily vintage show and it certainly lived up to that billing. It's times like these I wish I had a massive budget because there was so, so much I wanted to buy. I spent about half of what I brought, but most importantly, I had a wonderful time with excellent people. I met up with Spiegel, Jesse, Ernest, and Oscar, who made the show even more enjoyable. There's no real order to these purchases, so I'll begin with a big PC addition.

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Purchase: 1960 Nu Hi-Lites Campanella + 8 Non-Sports Vintage Cards - $10

The Campanella hails from 1960's Nu-Card Baseball Hi-Lites and, according to the dealer, is rare-ish. It was the most expensive card of the lot, clocking in at six bucks. It's a most welcome addition to my Campy Collection. All five 1966 Batman cards were had as a small lot for just a buck, and each Russia card, as well as good old Poland, was a dollar. Gotta love Helmar, and the other Russia is basically flawless, front and back.

Ernest mentioned that the Batman set would be too appealing to not put together, and I have to say, he's right on. I'm not going to make a list or go full-bore on that set right now, but I won't turn down picking up any cheap '60s Batman cardboard. Look at that artwork and color. Beautiful.

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Purchase: Lot of 4 Hits - $10

This particular seller knew exceptionally little about cards except to occasionally quote Beckett. I almost sold him some of my random bait as the show wound down but he passed, then agreed, then passed again. Anyhoo, Jesse from L.A. Inspiration and I went in on a large lot of cards from this guy and got a great deal on them. Most were Jesse's but these four came home with me.

The Granderson is #'d 10/50 and the Dantley is signed in silver ink. The Spezza is headed to a new trade partner that I owe some cardboard to.

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Purchase: 11-Card Lot (Autos, Rookies, and Bait, Oh My!) - $15

Next up, a large lot I bought from a nice guy who had a bunch of boxes you always hope to find at a show - quarter, dollar, and the like. I picked out a few cards for various PCs and kept an eye out for bait, which was abundant. The Espinosa fits right in with my Dirtbags PC and I've wanted a Bosh relic since parting with the couple I had once upon a time. Mr. Stryker, the Walker is yours if you need it, and the Barnum was snagged with a certain Kate Upton fan in mind.

Oscar Taveras is a BEAST, and when I was told his RC would run me just a buck, I jumped quicker than you can imagine. I guess it doesn't book all that high but still, it seemed like a low price. The Cole Chrome RC was also a buck, and I've got to show love to my fellow Bruins' alum. The Berkman and Newton were each a quarter. I'm secretly collecting The Big Puma....don't tell Sam.

A quarter each. I'm a LeBron fan, the Bagwell is just plain awesome, and the Sweeney is ticketed for Roy-Z.

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Purchase: Jackie Robinson 50th Anniversary Commemorative Comic - $5

Let's move away from cards for a moment to one of the first items that caught my eye as I made my initial pass through the tables. There was one dealer who had a bunch of non-card items and this sweeeeet Jackie comic - "The Legend of The Blue Knight" - immediately captivated me. It was given out by the Dodgers in 1997 and celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Jackie breaking the color barrier. It features magnificent artwork as well as L.A.'s five consecutive ROYs in the mid 1990s.

The above pamphlet was tucked in the protective sleeve behind the comic.

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Purchase: 11-Card 1960s/1970s Lot, Various Sports - $4

Back to cardboard additions. I picked up 11 cards from one dealer who was there with his wife and daughter. Really nice guy and family. He had tubs of cards from all sports with a bunch of great stuff and everything was very reasonably priced. The highlight of the lot has to be the 1964 Topps Billy Williams I landed for two dollars. It was the most expensive card, by far, and happens to be in excellent condition. Oh, what could have been for J.R. Richard. The Hollins is the lone basketball card I picked up and can be Cam H.'s if he wants it. JFK played baseball?

The two Bills' cards are headed with the Spezza north of the border. The 1970 Topps Lance Alworth, as a Chargers' fan with nothing even remotely vintage, was an easy buy for just 40 cents. The seller had a number of CFL cards and I was quite drawn to the Gabler and Abendschan. Abendschan was both a guard and a kicker, which is just spectacular.

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Purchase: R.A. Dickey 2012 Topps Update All-Star Stitches Jersey - $1

The final purchase I'll cover is actually the first purchase I made. For the sum of one United States dollar bill, I picked up this R.A. Dickey relic from none other than Spiegel. Once again, it has a home other than mine in its near future. For the first hour or so of the show, all I had purchased was the Dickey. Phrasing....boom.

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"Purchase": Mike Piazza 1994 Mother's Cookies 4-Card ROY Set - $0

Now, on to the freebies I was fortunate enough to receive. The same dealer I picked up the Billy Williams and Friends from gave me this killer four-card set of Mother's Cookies cards featuring Mike Piazza. The set was released in 1994 and commemorates Mike's '93 Rookie of The Year win.

"Purchase": Jerry Sands RCs - $0

The aforementioned Oscar brought me a few cards, including this pair of Jerry Sands rookies. The colorful Sands is orange even though it scanned red.

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"Purchase": Joe Judge 1928 Yuengling's Ice Cream - $0 (!)

A few hours into the show Jesse, Spiegel, and I left to grab a bite at Tito's. If you're not from the L.A. area there's a good chance you're unfamiliar with Tito's. Let me just say it's a tremendous local spot and makes fantastic Mexican food. When we returned I went to find a chair and spotted Mr. Judge on the floor. I asked around and couldn't find an owner. I assume someone bought it and dropped it, especially considering the dealer right near the area didn't have vintage.

It now resides with me. The old "Finder's Keeper" statute of childhood still applies, right? With help from Ernest I know it hails from the 1928 Yuengling's Ice Cream release, a pretty rare set. All I could deduce originally is that the back talked about turning in the Babe Ruth card - who would ever willingly give up a vintage Ruth??? - and receiving quarts of ice cream or a $5 "skooter."

That, and the player on the front played for the Washington Senators. That 35 on the bottom front is quite important, actually. It's the only way I was able to figure out the player is none other than Joe Judge, Brooklyn native and a Dodger for 42 games in 1933. Judge has one card as a Dodger, and it can be found in the 1933 Goudey set I'm putting together.

Not a bad freebie, if I do say so myself.

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So, my first card show ever is in the books. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more, and to top it all off I didn't spend everything I brought with me. The guys who set the show up have tentatively scheduled another show, in the same location, for October of 2013.

I can't wait.

Batman Cards From The 1960s. Oh, and Some Nazi Cardboard.

Because for a buck a pop from my former LCS, why wouldn't I want these sweet pieces of vintage goodness?

First up is my favorite of my small purchase: Grappling A Gator. Not Will Ferrell's Gator, but an actual gator. The artwork on this fabulous piece of cardboard is just spectacular. Based on some cursory COMC research, this is from Series A - released in 1966 - and is signified by the Red Bat Symbol. Or something like that.

The back is 1/10th of what I imagine is a pretty cool puzzle of The Caped Crusader.

The other Batman card I acquired depicts The Joker In Jail. Again, the artwork makes the card, which also hails from 1966. This Bat Symbol comes in black.

The Dark Knight was my favorite of the Nolan Trilogy and my favorite Batman movie period so I was especially excited that this card was available for the taking.

Batman landing digits from lovely ladies at UCLA is the greatest thing. EVER.

I picked up a third card that day from my LCS, also for 100 pennies. It depicts terror rained down by the Nazis on a French woman and her son. The son is attempting to gauge out the eye of a Nazi soldier while a second Nazi fires a shot to stop the woman - who has grabbed a large knife - and her boy.

You can't go wrong with WWII-era-themed cards. This bad boy is card # 33 in a 66-card set put out in 1965 by Topps. World War II and the preceding decade is one of my favorite historical periods so to nab a card that covers that stretch of time is truly a real treat.