Batman is the most profitable DC character of all time, and it isn’t particularly close. His cinematic ventures have <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr2286391045/" rel="nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>grossed over $7 billion at the box office, and his comics, with ongoing titles such as the mainline, ‘Absolute Batman’, and ‘Detective Comics’, account for close to 50% of DC’s comic revenue.
This level of success for a character as mythologized as Batman began quite early on. One of the earliest adaptations of the ‘Caped Crusader’ came from Adam West’s campy portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 1966 live-action TV series.
This was the height of the character’s popularity up until that point, and understandably so. To commemorate this success, Topps released what would act as the character’s rookie card: Batman No. 1 (1966).
This is part of the 55-card ‘Black Bat’ set, with artwork by Norman Saunders and layouts by Bob Powell, making it one of the most sought-after retro superhero collectibles on the market.
This was proven true when it sold at Heritage Auctions a couple of nights ago for $219,600 in PSA 9 condition. This is the most expensive sale for this specific card at public auction.
The market for this card has been steadily rising. On November 16, 2023, it sold for $19,200. Fast forward to the following July, and it sold for $45,000.
Most recently, this past December, it sold for $131,250.
The demand for the character also does depend on its condition. There is currently this exact card on Heritage as well, with a starting bid of $260, and its condition is labeled ‘very good, excellent 4’.
This Isn’t Close to Being the Most Expensive Batman Collectible Ever Sold
Adam West’s impact on the Batman mythos is far greater than anybody could’ve anticipated. It isn’t just his ‘rookie’ card that sells for a pretty penny. His Batmobile from the show caused quite a ruckus at auction.
It holds the Guinness World Record for being the most expensive piece of Batman memorabilia ever sold at auction, selling for $4,620,000 at the Barrett-Jackson car auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, on January 19, 2013.
It isn’t just his Batmobile that sold in the millions. The most expensive piece of Batman artwork ever sold is the iconic Frank Miller and Lynn Varley ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1’ Cover Original Art, which went for $2.4 million in June 2022.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a run-down of some of the most expensive Batman-related memorabilia if the sale of the ‘Batman #1’ comic wasn’t included.
This sold for a whopping $2.22 million at Heritage Auctions in January 2021, with a 9.4 grade from the Certified Guaranty Company.
So, it’s safe to say that if anybody’s got any old-timey Batman collectibles having a stare-off with a few dust bunnies in their attic, they should probably look into assessing the items’ value.
This story was originally published byMen’s Journalon Oct 25, 2026, where it first appeared in theCollectiblessection. Add Men’s Journal as aPreferred
