Oldest Thing in My Collection: Charles

My first "Official" Post for UTGP, and it starts with an email received a while back now about showcasing the oldest item in your collection from Brain B. I knew two things right then, one, I was going to have a blast contributing to this blog, and two... I didn't know what in the world I was going to post!

A real quick intro into my Bat Collecting Madness. When I was young I was introduced to Batman through comics and then every once in a while our local antenna T.V. Stations would air the 1966 Batman Movie on Saturdays. I would no sooner than the movie ended run outside and try to climb the old oak in our front yard like I was scaling up the side of the UN to save the delegates. That was it, I had a few little Corgi toys, the Remco Batbelt, and absolutely no Batman Megos.

I kept reading the comics, the Superfriends was on T.V., and I had buddies that had the Batman Megos, that I could join in with my Spider-Man or Spock and we would have some mixed up adventure. Time passes and in my college years the 1989 Batman movie came on the scene. Like most, this kick started my love for Batman into overdrive. Now, well over 100 Batman figures later, many die cast Batmobiles, comics, DVD's, T-Shirts, etc.  here I am. So, you can see I really did not think I would have anything too old  in my collection having really started relatively late to the Batman party, then I remembered this...

A 1966 Batman and Robin Pennant! Ha ha, I feel like I won a battle for the lower east end of Gotham City! I am on the board, leveled the playing field a bit, I can hang with Brian and Brian! Now, I do understand we all collect different things, and have different stories, and we even have collection overlap. But you know having read UTGP for years the one thing I knew was the two Brian's know their Classic Batman. Don't get me wrong I am not a Batman novice, it's just everyone wants to feel like they have that common ground. I an actually looking forward to contributing some new things and maybe some other areas of collecting here.

Back to the pennant though. This is one of those things I was just given by some good friends in Florida, one of those items that hits you out of the blue. I know like most collectors you are given stuff by co-workers, friends, and family that you were not expecting. You know what I am talking about, the random PEZ or the "Hey I saw this and knew you collected Batman" sort of item. Those items are, in my opinion, the most welcome to any collection.

The day I received this I was in awe, I immediately saw the copyright date, the ink went on a little heavy that day at the Batman and Robin Pennant Screen Printing Company, but the copyright reads as follows:

© NATIONAL PERIODICAL PUBLICATIONS INC. 1966

Holy Time Capsule! I could not believe my eyes and my mind started to race to all the times I have received pennants from baseball or basketball games, or that one time my parents dragged me to the Ice Capades only for it to be a surprise visit from an Ice Skating Spider-Man (I know this is a Batman blog, but facts are facts).

I guess I can imagine how the lucky kid felt getting this for the first time, also a little sad as they no longer have it. I hope they were ready to let it go. I do know I am going to give it a good home. Sure it has been folded and probably seen some better days, but it will hold a special place in my collection and a little spoiler here, I have plans for an awesome display with it in a prime location of my collection. But, that my Bat Friends will for another post.

It is items like this, and the mug Brian B blogged about, that make me happy to be a Batman Collector, and also be a part of a community were we can share cool finds, and still be amazed at the wonders of our favorite Superhero.