Oldest Thing In My Collection: Brian B

A week or two ago I asked my fellow UTGP bloggers to post the oldest thing that they had in their collection.

Looks like I get to go first!

Most collectors collect more than one thing.  I try to limit mine to Batman, View Master reels and a few other things here and there but Batman is by far the main subject that I collect besides bills.

To be married and collect something it helps immensely if your spouse collects something as well.  They sort of understand when you try to explain that you "need " or "must have" an action figure and you are a 47 years old man and a Pastor of a Church.  

If your spouse doesn't collect something I imagine that you get knowing looks from your spouse as you watch Hoarders and receive comments like "I think I'm going to call Mike and Frank from the American Pickers to come look at all your junk!".

You are getting this long introduction to prepare you for the first picture of this post.

Yes this is a blog about collecting Batman and this is a table with bowls on it.

My wife does not collect like I do but she does like bowls.

I am very fortunate that it isn't shoes,  jewelry or that she just loves to shop in general.  She doesn't like to shop.  She often sends me which is okay because that means and extra trip down the toy aisle for me.

She has found something else that she likes and has begun to collect it though. 

Fire-King Jadeite.

Her Grandfather had a mug like the one above and she loves to hunt for these green treasures when we go out antiquing.

There are many fake Jadeites out there so she knows to look for this brand before she buys it.

This is where our two collections meet.  Fire-King and Batman.

We go to flea markets (Look for a future post on these adventures) and antique stores and have a good time hunting and remembering life as it was when we were kids by the items that we see.

Batman Fire-King mugs.

Who would have thought that Batman and Fire-King had a connection?

There it is all official and everything on the bottom of the mug.

I have searched and tried to find some history on these but to no avail.  I thought for sure that they would be in Batman Collected by Chip Kidd but I didn't see them in it.

Mine, like many things in my collection, were a gift.

Growing up I had many cool Batman toys.  Several of them were hand me downs from my older cousins.  I had a Batman poster and a Batman parachuter passed down from them that I fondly remember and wish I still had. 

 In 1989 Batman came back to many of us.  I never left him but all of a sudden Bat-items were available everywhere.  So I picked up this and that here and there because it was literally everywhere.

My Uncle George knew I liked Batman and being a collector of things himself he had picked up something at a yard sale or auction and gave it to me.  It was a Batman Fire-King mug.

I thanked him for thinking of me and I kept it on a shelf to keep my change in for a long time.

Somewhere along the line it broke or got misplaced but my wife saw one at a store and replaced it for me.

These are from the 1960's but I don't know exactly when.  I have other items from then but I would count this as my oldest Batman collectable.

I had the lone blue Batman mug for quite a few years but I kept my eye out for the Robin one that I needed to complete my set.

I could never find it and when I saw it on Ebay it always went higher than I had bid.

Then along comes Under The Giant Penny.

I have some shots here and there of my collection as a whole on this site or WMDS.  I think all Batman collectors like to see other collections and how they are displayed don't' they?  I do. Well a visitor to the site looked through my collection pretty good.  He noticed that I was missing the Robin mug that goes with the Batman mug.

I get contacted one day from this visitor and he generously sends me one to complete my set!

Thanks BatFan!  You can check out his blog HERE

I'm not done though.

My wife finds another mug!

This one is black.

It seems like it is from the same time frame as the other mugs but.....

It is not a Fire-King brand.  It is a Westfield brand.

I did find it in a Batman collection book though.

It is in Les Daniles book: Batman The Complete History.

Well at least an add for it is.

Whew!  That is a lot of typing for me.  I am gonna go drink some milk in one of my cool Batman mugs now!

Thanks for reading and thanks Bat-Fans everywhere for being so cool!

I look forward to seeing the other guys oldest thing in their collection now.

Brian B

Batman Black & White Mike Mignola Variant Statue

Fellow Bat-fan and blogger extraordinaire, Charles (Chunky B), is guest-posting on Under the Giant Penny today.  You may know him from his work on other great sites like his own Eclectorama and Batman the Animated Toys.  Today, he's giving us a taste of his own extensive Batman collection.  Even though this is a guest post, Charles has agreed to make this a more permanent thing and will be joining UTGP as a regular blogger.  So, we're very glad to have him joining us!  Both Brians want to wish him a very big WELCOME to Under the Giant Penny.

Without further ado, I'll turn this over to Charles:

 Hello UTGP fans I am Charles (aka Chunky B), and Brian A and Brian B were gracious enough to have given me a chance at a guest post on Under the Giant Penny. Actually I think I may have lost a bet, but that is neither here nor there. When I thought about what I wanted to post on UTGP, I had to come up with something that was up to the standards established at this fine Batman Collectibles site.  It couldn't be the usually action figure or happy meal toy, it had to be something cool. That's when I looked over on my book case and I remembered I recently came into ownership of a Batman Black and White Statue! Actually this is sort of rare for me as I only have one other Batman Statue in my collection, I just never was into them, but having said that, it is on occasion that I will get one and this was one of those occasions. 

I actually came in possession of this statue from some friends at a comic book shop in Florida, they knew my love for Batman and also Mike Mignola Hellboy and thought this would be a perfect choice to send me. They were absolutely correct.

The Batman Black & White Mike Mignola Variant Statue was designed by Hellboy's creator Mike Mignola and sculpted by Jonathan Mathews. Released in February 2012 as part of DC Collectables Batman Black and White Statue Collection.  I am uncertain of the edition size, but I know that the first edition released in 2006 of this thing sold out quick and this variant edition is not the easiest thing to find, at least where I live. I will assume that all the UTGP readers are familiar with the theme of these statues, being mono chromatic and on a logo base that reflects the logo of the comic for which the series was born. What makes this version a variant is the deco used on Batman's chest, instead of  like the previous version with the giant Bat Symbol only, this version incorporates the oval around the Bat Symbol. A version I think I like better anyway, reminds me of that classic blue and gray Batman. 

 I really think that the cold cast porcelain statue really captures the detail that is Mignola's trade marks, the heavy folds, the nicks in the design here and there, and the chiseled graphic quality of Batman's body. Something to note, being a relatively new member of the statue collectors society is that you have to be extremely careful with cold cast porcelain statues. I was trying to press Batman's foot down, because the way they are mounted on the base makes it seem like he is hovering (something that would probably only bug me) and caused a micro crack in his ankle, nothing that is visible unless you get really, really close, but be careful.

The side view gives you a better view of Batman's weighted pose, as if he has the world on his shoulders, looking out over Gotham planning his next move or contemplating the clues left by the Riddler or the Joker. I think of all the styles I really enjoy this more graphic approach to the character.

Having received this I could easily see myself going after others in the collection. The size of these things, measuring at about seven and a half inches heigh make them attractable as they do not take up too much shelf space, but make more of a presence than your usual action figure.

Thanks again to my friends at Tate's for thinking of me, and a big thanks to Brian A and B for the invite for the guest post. Until next time, same Bat Time, same Bat Channel.

Eaglemoss 1966 Batmobile

I picked up a new Batmobile the other day.

It came with a little diorama, a magazine and is made by Eaglemoss of the UK.

It is a nice little magazine that is definitely British.

The Batmoble has a bonnet in its description and tire is spelled tyre.

It has a nice fold out with a cross section of the Batmoblie and its toys.

A section that featurse gadgets from the television show.

I never would have guessed that the atomic battery was in the rear of the Batmobile.

The magazine is nice but here is why I bought it.

The car.

It is nicely contained in a plastic display box.

These are all fixed to a base made of cardboard.

It has super details.

See what I mean?

One really cool feature is a lenticular background of the Batcave.

 It has a really nice 3D when lit from behind.

 I remember thinking that the Bat-computer was magic.

How could one machine hold all that information?

In my mind only someone as rich as Bruce Wayne could afford it.

I am Batman because I have something more powerful than that computer in my pocket.

Google is my Bat-computer.

 If you see one of these I recommend picking it up.

They have a few more of the Bat-vehicles in the line.

1974 Chemtoy Batman

This is one of those vintage Batman toys that, on it's face, is pretty lame but still holds a special place in my old toy collecting heart.  This is Chemtoy's Batman figure from 1974.  I don't call him an action figure because he has zero articulation.  He's just a cheapo, single-pose figure that probably cost less than a dollar.

I had one of these when I was a kid in the 70s.  I had him about the same time that I got my first Mego Batman.  So, it's safe to say that this guy didn't get much play time.  I'm guessing he was an impulse kind of buy while I was out shopping with my parents.  You know, that kind of thing where you beg for something, anything, just so you didn't have to go home empty-handed? I'm still dealing with these impulses, today… maybe some therapy is in order.  Ahem… anyway, over the years, I've kind of developed a kind of love for this little ugly figure.  It's kind of become one those nice, warm little toy memories from very early childhood.  

Check out the sharp detailed paintwork on the calves.  Impeccable.

 So, I picked one up recently to reintroduce him to my Batman collection.  In the pictures, I know the figure's a little beat up.  However, take note of the exquisite craftsmanship that has gone into the paint details.  It really doesn't get much better than this.  I've included a shot with other Batman figures for scale and to help avoid anyone confusing this with a Hot Toys Batman figure.  

Sometimes, nostalgia can be much stronger than common sense.  I think that's something that all collectors can relate to, to some degree.

DC Direct Batman Year One DVD Maquette

In the mid-80s, Frank Miller reinterpreted Batman for a new age in the Dark Knight Returns.  While DKR tells the story of the end of Batman, Miller soon returned to write Batman Year One… a retelling of Batman's genesis.  Both stories have gone down in Bat-history as being some of the very best Batman stories and both can also be partly credited for the direction that the Bat-films took when kicking off in 1989.  With the 2011 release of DC Animation's Batman Year One DVD, DC Direct produced this statue to coincide with the DVD release of the film.  Not much merchandise, at all, was released with the film but we did get this beautiful statue from DC Direct.  The look of the statue is based on the animated version and not the comic (expertly drawn by David Mazzucchelli). However, the animated film somewhat closely followed the look of the comic.  So, in a sense, we get a look close to the comic but sort of "once removed."

I was very pleased when this statue was announced as the look of Batman in Year One is one of my very favorite looks for the character.  His costume is simple but sleek.  I'm a fan of several of Batman's looks but I tend to prefer him in a simpler, more classic style of costume.  This statue depicts this type of costume very well from the understated creases in his shorts to the amazing look of his cape. 

The sculpting on this statue (sculpted by Derek Miller) completely nails the look of the animated character from the Year One animated film.  He looks tough but sleek and his cape seems to have a life of its own.  The way this statue's cape billows, creases, and flows is truly something to behold, in person.  

This statue stands at about 10 inches tall.  So, he's bigger than your average DC Direct maquette and quite a bit bigger than the scale typically used for the Batman Black and White Statues.

There is absolutely nothing I'd change about this statue.  I think it's "spot on" and a great addition to anyone's statue collection or Batman shelf.