Holy Crazy Eddie! These prices are INSANE…
Heritage’s Ultimate Batman Collection toy auction ended this weekend and boy were there some shockers in there, perhaps none more so than the most expensive item among the 621 lots up for sale.
But why just talk about one item when we can talk about 13?
So dig THE TOP 13 MOST EXPENSIVE TOYS FROM HERITAGE’s ULTIMATE BATMAN COLLECTION AUCTION, along with prices (including buyer’s premium) and official descriptions. (My own comments are in the photo captions. Because, man, some of these are real head-scratchers):
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Batman Open Top Red Batmobile with Original Box (Yonezawa, 1960’s) — $150,000
This blows my mind. Batman in a red convertible. Even if it’s rare, this is astonishing.
This red open-top Batmobile is a very rare tin toy produced in 1966 by Yonezawa for the Japanese market. It features a friction-powered motor and a painted plastic Batman at the wheel. The hubcaps are lithographed as well as the blue seats. It comes with the original Japanese writing box with artwork of Batman and Robin on the front. The car is in excellent condition with some light age discoloration on some chrome areas. There are a few small surface scratches on back seat and the plastic Batman has few small marks on his head. The box is solid with some wear and creases on the cover.
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Battery-operated Batman Robot with Original Box (Bandai, 1960’s) — $42,500
I dig Batman robots and there are a bunch on this list.
This rare Batman robot wears a classic light blue costume with a yellow utility belt and dark blue accessories. He stands at 10.5″ tall and was released by Bandai in the 1960’s. The body is lithographed with shading and bright blue colors, the yellow belt with ‘Batman’ printed on the buckle. The head is painted vinyl and the cape is dyed fabric. Battery-operated, the robot walks forward with his arms swinging when activated with the switch on his back. Even rarer than the robot itself is the Japanese writing box which is in excellent condition for its fifty plus years. The robot is very clean with minimal scratches and nicks. It has deep blue and gray colors and a clean vinyl head. The cape is faded from the original blue and has a few small brown spots. The box is solid with no tears and has bright rich colors. Beautiful overall, the box top has some small bends and creases while the box bottom has a few small dents. The robot has not been tested and no guarantee can be made of its working condition.
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Batman Japanese Tin Batmobile Race Car (Yonezawa, 1966) — $35,000
The first of two race cars on the list. It’s groovy but I actually prefer the one farther down.
This blue tin Batmobile was produced by Yonezawa for the Japanese market in 1966. It is friction-powered and has rubber wheels with a lithographed body and hubcaps. The plastic Batman upper body and head sits inside with a transparent green windshield in front of him. The car has some scratches throughout with paint loss and dark spots on the hood. The Batman head has wear on the ears and there are small marks on the bottom of the car. The box is reproduction and has wear and soiling overall.
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Batman Japanese Robot (Bandai, 1960’s) — $32,500
Fairly nondescript compared to others on this list.
With very few known to still exist, this Batman robot by Bandai was released in Japan in the 1960’s. It has a vinyl body over a metal frame with a cloth cape and painted tin feet. It comes with the original metal key, but does not include any packaging. The wheels at the bottom still roll smoothly and there is a tin lever on his back that activates him when wound up. When activated, the arms would swing and the legs would shuffle back and forth to make him “walk”. The blue vinyl head has painted eyes and face and the cape has Japanese lettering on it. Since the robot has not been tested, there is no guarantee of its working condition. The robot has decent paint overall with a small spot missing on the nose. The flesh paint on the head seems to be faded and light yellow. The cape was originally dark blue but has now faded to an off white with a hint of blue, possibly due to washing. The belt also looks to have been repainted with yellow. The Batman chest emblem is in great condition with no wear.
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Batman Japanese Tin Batmobile Race Car with Original Box (Masudaya, 1966) — $32,500
Now we’re talking. I can’t say it’s worth the sale price or anything, but damn, this thing is a beaut. Love the color scheme and the big, bold Batlogo on the hood.
This black tin Batmobile was produced by Matsudaya for the Japanese market in 1966. The wide-eyed Batman is very distinct and doesn’t quite match the determined expression on the box cover. The car is friction-powered and has rubber wheels with a lithographed body. The plastic Batman head is on a lithographed tin body and has a vinyl red cape behind him, both of which have some fading from age. The car has some light scratches and scuffs but is in excellent condition. The box bottom and top are solid but the top has some tears in the corners as well as in the center. There are some creases, edge wear and a surface tear near the Japanese writing. The car is untested and no guarantee can be made of its working condition.
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One-of-a-kind 1:6 scale Batman Batcave Diorama with Prototypes (Hot Toys, 2016) — $27,500
Given the prices in the auction, I’m kind of surprised this didn’t go for more. But then, how many people have the space to store such a thing? Even rich people have their limits. Actually, probably not.
Caped Crusader fans will instantly recognize this classic setting from the 1966 Batman TV show… the Bat Cave! Meticulously recreated by a talented team of artists and craftsmen, this one-of-a-kind diorama was created to be displayed publicly at the Batman 100% Hot Toys Exhibition in September of 2016. This date coincided with the release of the first Suicide Squad movie in Tokyo and lasted for 2 weeks. Everything pictured is included.
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Wind-up Batman Tin Robot with Original Box (Tada, 1960’s) — $23,750
I love this one. This robot’s in beautiful shape — and dig that box and its oblique reference to the 1966 Batman movie.
Made for the Japanese market, this key-in wind-up Batman robot is 13″ tall and was produced by Tada in the 1960’s. Constructed with a tin body, the robot has a painted vinyl head and cloth cape. Its distinctive long legs and wide stance give the toy a waddling walk when wound up. Also included is the rare original box. The robot is in excellent condition with small scratches and scuffs. The cape is in great condition as well. The box shows medium wear with some creasing and the yellow box bottom shows aging inside.
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Batman Tin Batcopter (Masudaya, 1966) — $22,500
Easily my favorite on the list. So close to the classic Bell 47 movie/TV Batcopter but with a different color scheme. I would really love to own this but I have, y’know, bills to pay.
This black tin Batcopter was produced by Masudaya in 1966 and measures 16.5″ long. It was based on the 1946 Bell 47 helicopter and uses the same construction as the Police Patrol copter Masudaya also released. The Batman version is much rarer and is not seen often. This battery-operated copter has a black frame with a lithographed engine in back and cockpit in front. Batman and Robin have plastic heads that sit on tin lithographed bodies inside the bubble-encased cockpit. Large yellow Batsymbol stickers are on both sides and a “Batman” sticker is on top behind the fuel tanks and one below it near the engine. The fuel tanks and propeller are removable. The copter is solid with some light paint wear. The clear disc at the rear rotor is missing half and one off the black bands that hold on a fuel tank has come off. There is peeling of the back upper sticker and there is only a partial Batsymbol on one tank. The glass is clear but has minor scratches. The rotor connection is chipped and has been previously repaired but sits on the pin securely. There is no rust and the copter displays well. It may be a long time before another is seen for sale publicly.
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Bendable Batman (Marx, 1966) — $21,250
A grail item for so many. I will make do by looking at the picture.
One of the first ever produced Batman figures from 1966 by Marx, this piece is a grail to many collectors. It predates the Captain Action Batman outfits and figures that were released shortly after. He comes with a cape, Batarang, roller skates, and several additional accessories. Manufactured in Hong Kong, the card is unpunched and has some wear. The original staples still firmly hold the plastic to the card back.
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Batman Tin Robot with Original Japanese Box (Nomura, 1966) — $20,250
Another robot! Very groovy and an another cool box — this one riffing on Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson’s classic artwork.
This Batman robot stands 12.5″ tall and comes with the original Japanese version box. The battery-operated robot walks and has an illuminated head when operating. It is constructed of lithographed tin with a vinyl head and cloth cape showing a Batman logo on back. The robot has the “yellow button” switch variation located on the center of the utility belt. One of two variations, this Batman has the smirking / grinning mouth appearance. The box features an Adam West style Batman holding a revolver with Japanese writing and is a rare piece in any condition. This robot is in great condition with minor surface scratches and light wear. There is some fading to the cape and some yellowing to the skin of the vinyl head. The box has some medium wear and cover has some creasing. The robot has not been tested and no guarantee can be made of its working condition.
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Batman Japanese Tin Friction-Powered Cessna Plane (Takatoku, 1960’s) — $20,000
This is absolutely gorgeous. If some company were to release a repro of this, I’d snap it up. (Hey, this is the Golden Age of repros, so who knows?)
The Batman Cessna is friction powered and composed of tin with a plastic propeller and rubber wheels. When pushed, the turning wheels cause the propeller to rotate. The tin is lithographed with images of Batman and Robin in the cockpit and additional images of them on both wings. On the tail are pictures of the Joker and a police officer while other images including a standing Batman, Batman logo, and some Japanese writing round out the rest of the graphics. This is a very rare piece to find with few sold publicly. The plane has vibrant colors and is in great condition. It has some light scratches and scuffs and does not come with any packaging. The friction still works correctly and spins the propeller when pushed, but no guarantee can be made of its working condition in the future.
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Batman Batpen Counter Display Card with Pen (Derasco, 1966) UK Market Exclusive — $20,000
Mind-boggling.
What is likely to be the only surviving display card, this pink cardboard Batpen holder is a UK exclusive made by Derasco Business Products in 1966. It contains one red pen, however, the water has dried out so the “Wonder-Action Moving Batscene” no longer works as intended. The card is in good condition with a pen scribble and a couple of pencil markings of “4/11”.
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Batman Red Bat Copter (Tudor Rose, 1966) — $20,000
This is lovely. I still prefer the other Batcopter, though.
This very rare red Batman Batcopter was produced in the UK by Tudor Rose and may be the only complete boxed sample in existence. Based on the Sikorsky helicopter S-51 Dragonfly, it is made of red plastic and has yellow paper Batman stickers on the side. The box art features a batman leaping with a cityscape behind him while the sides have him leaning out of the copter toward a running criminal. The top of the box has artwork of Batman running with the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance while Robin pilots the Batcopter from above. The box also bears the Tudor Rose logo and is marked National Periodical Publications Inc. 1966. The box is still wrapped in cellophane, however it has ton on the front window on the left and right sides. The top and bottom of the box have been pulled toward each other, likely from cellophane shrinkage. The graphics are still bright and retain good color.
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If you want to see all the lots and how much they went for, click here.
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MORE
— The TOP 13 Most Outlandish ASIAN TIN BATMOBILES From the ’60s and ’70s — RANKED. Click here.
— Dig These 13 MAGNIFICENT CLASSIC BATMAN TOYS Going Up for Auction. Click here.
