Batman rookie card set new record amid hot market
Whether it's sports cards, Pokémon, comics, or toys the collectibles market has pushed nearly every category to new heights in 2025, and one of the biggest winners in the space has been collectibles featuring legendary comic book characters.
Last month a near perfect Superman comic set a new comic book record when it sold for $9.1 million. On Thursday, December 11th, the highest ever sale of a PSA 9 Batman's rookie card set a record as well. The PSA 9 1966 Topps Batman (Black Bat) "The Batman" #1, sold for $131,250 through Heritage Auctions. This card has shot up nearly 200% since it last sold for $45K back in June 2024.
RELATED: Top 6 Tom Brady non-rookie card sales of all time
Why this Batman card is special
This PSA 9 Batman card is the highest graded copy in existence with none higher. There are only 13 PSA 9s according to the Card Ladder population report, so it's an extremely rare card. It's also the Dark Knight's first card appearance, getting the #1 spot in the 55-card Topps "Black Bat" series. The image was crafted by legendary artist Norman Saunders, whose artwork is also featured in the 1962 Topps Mars Attacks set as well as dozens of pulp magazine covers.
The 1966 Black Bat series debuted in conjunction with the hit Batman TV series starring Adam West. The show, which first aired on January 12, 1966, ran for three seasons and is well remembered for its campy style and corny one-liners, a far cry from how the caped crusader has evolved for modern audiences.
Other notable 1966 Topps Black Bat cards
While "The Batman" gets the #1 spot in the 55-card checklist, there are some other fantastic rookie cards in this set, including Robin - Boy Wonder (#2), Sinister Smile featuring Catwoman (#27), and The Riddler (#36).
Some of the cards even reflect the nature of the TV show, like the Batman in Action (#15) card, with the big, bold "POW" text front and center.
The Batman (#1) card is the most valuable card in this set by far. The next highest selling card is a PSA 10 copy of Robin - Boy Wonder (#2) that sold in the same auction as the record-setting Batman card for $62,500.
A PSA 9 copy of "Sinister Smile" featuring Catwoman took the top spot for highest-selling villain, selling for just over $9K. Prior to the sale of the Catwoman card, a PSA 10 copy of The Riddler (#36) held the highest selling villain title for a few weeks after the $8K sale on November 23, 2025.
Legendary Comic ROI
Packs of these cards sold for five cents when they were released, so buying a few packs for a quarter and pulling a high grade Batman #1 card represents a staggering ROI over a 60-year period. Holy returns, Batman!
Conor is a life long sports card enthusiast who started collecting in the early ’90s, inspired by hometown heroes like Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Tom Brady, and David Ortiz. Like many ’90s hoops fans, he also started building (and continues to build) a modest Michael Jordan collection.