Michael Karberg knows!
You know what I want, what I really, really want?
A Batmobile kiddie ride. Of course, I wouldn’t fit in it, I wouldn’t want to shell out for one, and I have no place to put it. But the heart wants what the heart wants.
Well, Indiana Batman supercollector (and dealer) Michael Karberg has… hold on (checks notes)… SEVEN of them — with one that sold for $1,722 (including buyer’s premium) at auction Saturday.
Sold for $1,722
Waaaaoow.
I just had to ask him all about it, so I could live vicariously through his Batmobile adventure.
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Dan Greenfield: How many Batmobile rides do you own? Did you get them all at once or did you assemble the collection over time?
Michael Karberg: We currently own seven of these; they were found in a warehouse in central California. We will be restoring five of them and returning them to their Bat-glory!
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Dan: What’s your best childhood memory of these rides?
Mark: I was born in 1965 and was six months old when the Batman TV show debuted. Some of my earliest 1960s Batman memories involve the Model grocery store in Harvey, Illinois. It was there that I remember purchasing Batman comics out of a comic book vending machine, which were super rare even then, and then getting to ride in a vending machine Batmobile ride just like ours!
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Dan: This is a very specific type of collectible. What got you into these — and are they the only rides you own?
Mark: They are the only rides that we own. I’ve collected and sold 1966 Batman items for over 40 years; I also sell and restore antique advertising items so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to restore a group of 1966 Batmobiles!
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Dan: How much work have you done to preserve these? Who designed the paint schemes?
Mark: We just received them so nothing yet, the paint schemes appear to be six-decade-old evolutions, as up close you can see many layers of paint on each ride.
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Dan: Do you rent them out or just collect them? For example, tell me about the pictures with the five on a trailer.
Mark: The five were on the trailer because we were transporting them from California to Indiana where I live and where they will be restored. Once they are restored we will be offering them for sale.
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Dan: What else do you collect — and how big is your overall collection?
Mark: It’s funny that you asked how big my “overall” collection is because in addition to collecting 1960s and ’70s Batman, I also have a nice overall and workwear related advertising collection. And some 1940s old-time radio advertising, and also some 1960s television show-related items.
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Dan: Give us a short profile of those remaining in your collection. What’s your favorite?
Mark: Honestly at this point none of them are ready for prime time. They’re all in about average condition for being in use for 55-60 years and happily they all are still in solid working condition, so luckily the only restoration work needed is cosmetic! Until the restoration work is complete they’re all same to me now.
My favorite will always be the one I rode on in the late 1960s at the Model!
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MORE
— Dig These 13 Wild and Wonderful Vintage 1966 BATMOBILE KIDDIE RIDES. Click here.
— The Day the 1966 BATMOBILE Came to My House. Click here.
