1989 O-Pee-Chee Batman Movie Trading Cards Collector Guide
The 1989 Batman film starring Michael Keaton kicked off a tidal wave of Bat-merchandise, including trading cards, which were released just before the film’s premiere on June 23, 1989. Bat-fans love to collect the Topps cards from that film, but many are not aware that a higher quality, much rarer version of those cards exist: the 1989 O-Pee-Chee Batman cards! They may, however, have to head north to get their hands on them.
Most collectors are familiar with the Topps Batman cards that were released, which featured a simple white border around a still or promotional shot from the film. A card title and the Bat Signal were included along the bottom of the cards, which featured a vertical or horizontal format, depending on the picture.
Many collectors, however, may not be aware of Canadian versions of the Topps cards manufactured by the O-Pee-Chee Company. Under a licensing agreement with Topps dating back to the 1950s, O-Pee-Chee released sports and pop culture cards in the Canadian market. The cards were nearly identical to Topps cards, with a handful of differences. In most instances, the cards included French and English wording on the wrappers and the cards themselves. the O-Pee-Chee cards were also printed on a higher quality cardstock, which made colors brighter and wording sharper. The Topps logo and wording is, of course, replaced by O-Pee-Chee.
Cards for the Star Wars films, as well as Raiders of the Lost Ark, have O-Pee-Chee counterparts, and are sought after by many collectors who find the French wording on the front unique. While O-Pee-Chee sports cards are fairly common, O-Pee-Chee non-sport/movie cards are much harder to find. Although made to be sold in Canada, some have made their way into the hands of American collectors.
For the 1989 Batman movie cards, the O-Pee-Chee versions again feature the higher-quality cardstock, and for most of the cards, it’s the only way to tell the difference between a Topps and O-Pee-Chee card. That’s because, unlike other O-Pee-Chee card sets, the Batman cards include no French wording. Most don’t even have the O-Pee-Chee logo – only the title card and a subset of “sticker cards” feature the O-Pee-Chee name. Which brings us to the interesting difference between the O-Pee-Chee Batman Cards and the Topps version.
For both Topps and O-Pee-Chee, the 1989 Batman set was issued in two series. The Topps 1989 Batman card set consisted of 264 base cards and 44 stickers across both series. Series I included base cards 1-132 and stickers 1-22. Series II included base cards 133-264 and stickers 23-44. 9 cards were sold in each 45-cent Topps wax pack, with one sticker and a stick of gum included.
In the O-Pee Chee set, the 22 stickers in each Topps series were converted into cards and added to the O-Pee-Chee base set. No stickers were included in the O-Pee-Chee set at all. For Series I, the Topps stickers 1-22 became cards 133-154 of the O-Pee-Chee base card set. In Series II, the Topps stickers 23-44 became cards 287-308 of the O-Pee-Chee set. That means 308 total cards made up the O-Pee-Chee 1989 Batman card set: Series I included cards 1-154, and Series II included cards 155-308. Of course, that means the numbering for the O-Pee-Chee cards will differ from the Topps set.
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No changes were made to the sticker design in adding them to the base set. Even the puzzle back remained the same – the only difference is they were printed on card stock rather than sticker stock. For this reason, many Batman card collectors like this version, as they consider stickers obsolete, and prefer a larger base card set printed on higher-quality card stock.
O-Pee-Chee Batman cards come 4 to 5 base set cards in a pack, with the additional “sticker” subset card acting as an insert of sorts. The wrapper doesn’t specify the number of cards in each pack, and packs that we’ve opened have varied between 4 to 5 base cards. A full O-Pee-Chee checklist is included below.
Here’s our “Busting Packs” video featuring what we found when we opened a few packs.
Here’s the full O-Pee-Chee checklist.
1989 O-Pee-Chee Batman Checklist
1. Title Card/Introduction
2. DarkNight Detective
3. Bruce Wayne
4. The Clown Prince of Crime
5. Jack Napier
6. Vicki Vale
7. Alexander Knox
8. Commissioner Gordon
9. Alfred the Butler
10. D.A. Harvey Dent
11. Crime Boss Carl Grissom
12. Alicia Hunt
13. Gotham City After Dark
14. Mugged!
15. Rooftop Rendezvous
16. Night of the Bat
17. Nailed by the Dark Avenger
18. Who…What Are You?!!
19. Gotham City’s Dark Knight
20. The New D.A.
21. Knox on the Job!
22. The Set-Up
23. Bruce in Wayne Manor
24. Meeting Their Host
25. View from the Batcave
26. The Axis Chemical Factory
27. Mysterious Manhunter
28. Batman’s Weapon
29. Toxic Flood!
30. In the Batman’s Clutches
31. Commissioner Gordon–Hostage!
32. Holding Batman at Bay!
33. Hero and the Horror
34. Jack Loses His Grip!
35. Plunge into Toxic Oblivion!
36. Rising Above It All
37. Spotted by Commissioner Gordon!
38. Front Page Story!
39. Ghastly Revelation
40. Back from the Dead
41. No Deals, Grissom!
42. Call Me … Joker!
43. Grissom’s Gruesome Demise
44. Wait’ll They Get a Load of Me!
45. Hi Honey!
46. The New Crime Boss
47. Gotham City’s Crime Lords
48. Joy-Buzzed to Death!
49. Evil of the Joker
50. Fried Alive!
51. “I’m in Charge Now!”
52. A Final Farewell
53. Lord of Wayne Manor
54. Outside City Hall
55. The Mime of Mayhem!
56. Funny Meeting You Here!
57. City Hall Massacre?
58. Outrageous Assault!
59. Who’s the Wildest One of All?
60. The Joker’s Lair
61. Vicki’s Most Devoted Fan
62. Keep Up the Bad Work!
63. Smylex Attack!
64. The Joker Conquers TV!
65. Love that Joker!
66. Let’s Go Shopping!
67. At the Flugelheim
68. The Art of Crime
69. A Date with Vicki
70. You Light Up My Life
71. Alicia’s New Look
72. No! No! I’m Melting!!
73. Crash!!!
74. The Rescue
75. Swing to Safety!
76. A Daring Escape!
77. The Batmobile
78. Fantastic Chase!
79. The Batmobile Tears Away!
80. Cocooned!
81. Is It Halloween?
82. How Much Do You Weigh?
83. Death-Defying Duo!
84. Hang On, Vicki!
85. Batman Overpowered!
86. The Challenge
87. Urban Warriors
88. Slashing Assault!
89. Photographed by Vicki!
90. Friend … Or Mad Vigilante?
91. Within the Batcave
92. Vicki in a Jam!
93. The Joker Is Wild!
94. Haunting Memory
95. Fate of the Wayne Family
96. Gearing Up for Danger
97. Knight Patrol!
98. Sabotage!
99. The Axis Fireball!
100. Escape from Flaming Death!
101. The Master of Disaster
102. Bicentennial Nightmare!
103. Twisted Terrorists!
104. Flight of the Batwing
105. Batwing Cockpit
106. The Joker’s Secret Weapon
107. Taking Aim at the Batwing!
108. Super-Sleek Craft!
109. Crash Dive!
110. Vicki to the Rescue!
111. The Joker Takes a Hostage
112. Batman Lives!
113. Grim Vendetta
114. In Danger’s Domain
115. Watch Out Behind You …!
116. Assault on the Caped Fury
117. Desperate Struggle!
118. Grip of Death!
119. Perilous Plunge!
120. Batman in Action!
121. No Match for Batman!
122. Bruised But Not Beaten!
123. The Joker’s Final Stand
124. Dance of Death
125. Vicki Imperiled!
126. The Titans Clash!
127. Batman vs. Madman
128. The Dark Knight Triumphs
129. The Joker–Over the Edge!
130. He Who Laughs Last …
131. The Bat-Signal
132. The Guardian of Gotham City
O-Pee-Chee Exclusive Extended Series (Topps’ Sticker Design on Card Stock)
133. Batman
134. Batman Logo
135. Bruce Wayne and Vicki Vale
136. The Batmobile
137. The Joker
138. The Joker and his Clown Goons
139. Batman vs. The Joker
140. The Batmobile
141. Three Faces of Joker
142. Joker Caricature/Costume Sketch
143. Batman Swinging
144. Batman Closeup
145. Batwing
146. Batwing
147. Joker Parade
148. Joker Holding Hat
149. Batman with Batmobile
150. Joker on the Beach with Seagulls
151. Batman
152. Batman
153. Joker (Museum Scene, Makeup Smearing)
154. Vicki Vale (Photographing)
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Series II
155. Batman Picture Card Series 2 Title Card
156. The Man and His Quarry
157. Hand of Vengeance
158. Parked in the Batcave
159. Fistfuls of Funny Money!
160. Onward, To His Fate…
161. Doppelganger
162. Time to Die, Grissom!
163. Armadillo Effect
164. The Last of Eckhardt
165. Leer of the Clown Prince
166. I’ve Got to Work Tonight
167. Leap from the Belltower
168. March of the Misfits
169. Meltingly Beautiful
170. You Know Who I Mean…!
171. Power of the Batmobile
172. Flugelheim Aftermath
173. Alley Bat
174. Aiming To Kill!
175. News of the Battle!
176. The Wayne Manor Party
177. Of Mimes and Memories
178. Danger in the Streets
179. The Oddest Couple
180. Knight and the Damsel
181. Hanging On For Life!
182. Murder…Just for Laughs
183. Twisted Pitchman
184. ‘Copter Escape!
185. Instructions for Alfred
186. Gotham City Landscape
187. Flugelheim Museum Interior
188. Elevated Subway Exterior
189. Flugelheim Museum Exterior
190. Grissom’s Office
191. Their Final Bow?
192. The Batmobile-Head On
193. Dangling Devil
194. See Rotelli Roast
195. The Defeat of Batman
196. Sneaking Up Behind Jack…
197. Festival of Madness
198. Battered But Unbowed!
199. Mission Accomplished!
200. Retreat Into Darkness
201. You Want To Get Nuts…
202. The Master’s Mimes
203. Knox Chats with Alfred
204. Savage Sneak Attack!
205. Madness Wears a Smile
206. The Batmobile Escapes!
207. Jack and Alicia
208. Trick or Treat!
209. The Field Flies High!
210. His Card…
211. Silent But Deadly
212. The Phantom Avengers
213. A New Mad Plan!
214. Friends and Lovers
215. Fiery Finale
216. Another Man Down
217. The Batwing Soars!
218. The Joker (By Tim Burton)
219. Batman Costume Design
220. The Joker Costume Design
221. Batman Design Concept
222. Metal Walkway
223. Tugging the Line
224. The Hanging Hood
225. Over the Gantry
226. The Joker Knocked Backwards
227. Danger Directly Ahead!
228. Clearing the Trigger
229. Preparing for an Assault
230. Cathedral Dead Ahead!
231. Goons in Hot Pursuit!
232. Mysterious Millionaire
233. Alleys of Gotham City
234. The Villain Supreme!
235. Who Is Jack Napier?
236. The Joke’s on Alicia
237. Weapon Against Evil
238. His Foul and Fiendish Grin
239. Armor Inspiration
240. Grotesque Reflections
241. A Gift for Vicki
242. The Night Is His Again!
243. Kids Playing ‘Batman’
244. Brains + Beauty = Vicki
245. Everyone Needs a Hobby!
246. Throttling a Punk
247. An Artist Most Bizarre
248. Batman’s Public Service
249. A Goon and His Tune
250. City of Light and Danger
251. Heroic Escape!
252. How the Joker Lives
253. Batman in the Belfrey
254. Classic First Issue!
255. Directing Grissom’s Murder
256. The Clown and the Clapboard
257. The Director’s Vision
258. Maniacal Murderer!
259. Knox Takes a Shot at Heroism
260. What Tim Burton Wants…
261. Getting the Worst from Grissom
262. Directing Helicopter Escape
263. Special Advice for Batman
264. Directing Michael Keaton
265. Flight of the Dark Avenger
266. Interviewed by Knox
267. Tim Burton, Filmmaker
268. Alicia–Exquisite!
269. Presenting the Batmobile!
270. Relaxing with Key Players
271. Filming the Dance Macabre
272. Shooting the Rescue Scene
273. Dining at Wayne Manor
274. Secret Life of Bruce Wayne
275. City Street Miniature
276. At the Nerve Center
277. Computerized SFX
278. Fantastic Miniature Set
279. Trail of the Mystery Man
280. Directing Jack Nicholson
281. Dance of the Deranged
282. From Burton to Batman
283. Batman’s Revenge
284. Gruesome Grimace
285. Buildings of Gotham City
286. The Killer Clown’s in Town!
O-Pee-Chee Exclusive Extended Series (Topps’ Sticker Design on Card Stock)
287. Joker and Batman portrait
288. Batman potrait
289. Joker dancing
290. Batman
291. Joker laughing (yellow background)
292. Batman full body pose (arms crossed, yellow background)
293. Joker smiling
294. Batman headshot drawing
295. Joker full body pose (yellow background)
296. Batman drawing
297. Joker drawing (fashion pose, with hat)
298. Batman in the Batcave (red border)
299. Batman waist-up pose (yellow border)
300. Bruce Wayne waist-up pose (blue border)
301. Joker (in Vicki’s apartment)
302. Bat Logo
303. Batman (in shadows)
304. Joker (with scissors)
305. Batman Hiding
306. Batman and Vicki Vale (on platform, yellow border)
307. Joke (with orange megaphone)
308. Batmobile
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Hello!
I am so pleased to see this post. I’ve been looking for information about the O-Pee-Chee Batman series 1 and 2 and could only find posts related to Topps. I was wondering if your knowledge could extend a little further?
I am from Brockville, Ontario in Canada. I’ve had these cards since their release. They have spent all these years in a dry box in my closet. They are in amazing condition (flat with crisp corners). While sorting them the last couple od days, I have found some irregularities. Maybe you know about them?
1. There are three kinds of card stock. Some are whitish, beige, and gray.
2. There are two designs for the top of the backs. One with the word BATMAN and the bat symbol side by side. The other is simply the word Batman.
3. Some have traces of gum stick powder affecting the smooth finish.
4. On the back, some have blemishes from the printing. Mostly, it’s a white dot with a black center. I know this is probably a grain of dust that made its way into the printer. They are usually on the large letters BATMAN (One is massive. The black dot in the center looks more like a nail).
I hope you can help me. If not, could you refer me to someone?
Thank you for your help.
Hello Paul, I apologize for not responding sooner. Our spam software had your comment in a separate folder and I just happened to see it.
I wish I could provide more information, but I don’t have extensive knowledge of O-Pee-Chee cards or variations in this set. I have been told, although I haven’t confirmed it, that O-Pee-Chee had more than one printing facility, and this may account for the variations in card stock, which I was not aware of. I was also not aware of different designs on the card backs, and that is an interesting variation.
O-Pee-Chee cards are not readily available to me here in Texas, and my experience is limited to the lot of cards and unopened packs I obtained from a single source. That may be why I do not see variations in the card backs or card stock. I assumed the card stock in the packs I opened was white, but it isn’t a bright white as I have seen with O-Pee-Chee sports cards I have seen, so it is possible I have the gray stock. I had always assumed the card stock variations I saw in eBay auctions were the result of the camera, so I may try to obtain more cards in person to research this variation.
Hopefully, this comment will stir others to provide more information, as you are right, there isn’t a lot of information out there. Even the Batman collectors I know aren’t very knowledgeable on these cards, although I prefer them to the Topps version. I’ll be sure to update this article with any information I can confirm. Thank you for the information!