Marvel loves their origin stories. When it comes comes to trading cards, 1966 Donruss Marvel Super Heroes is basically that. It’s not so much in the stories the cards tell. Actually, it’s not at all that. These cards have no narrative. However, they’re extremely important in being the starting point for mainstream Marvel trading cards, a juggernaut that is still going strong decades later.
1966 Donruss Marvel Super Heroes Checklist Details
1966 Donruss Marvel Super Heroes has a 66-card checklist. It’s split into six different 11-card sections, each highlighting a different Marvel hero: Captain America, Iron Man, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Hulk and Thor.
Beside the character, each section isn’t really connected. This set has no running storylines or even theme beyond who it focuses on. Individual cards take on the appearance of a comic panel, often with action. The tone is a little different than you might expect today. Instead of catchphrases it’s virtually all one-liners and gags. And of those, most may have been funny in 1966 but don’t have much relevancy today.
The only cards that don’t offer jokes are cards that only say “Write Your Own” with faded text in the speech bubble. These are meant for collectors to add their own bit of text (Tip: If you’re concerned about condition and value today, writing a caption is going to make a card worth a lot less unless it’s something like an Iron Man card inscribed by Robert Downey Jr. and authenticated).
Backs don’t offer additional content or background. Rather, they go together to form a multi-character puzzle.
A Marvel-ous Legacy
Bad jokes aside, 1966 Donruss Marvel Super Heroes is one of the most important and significant sets of Marvel trading cards ever made. The reason is simple. It’s the first comprehensive set of trading cards dedicated to the comic juggernaut’s characters.
It’s also a fairly tough one to put together, particularly for those looking for top-condition cards. Age is a major culprit. In 1966, cards are tossed into shoeboxes, shoved in back pockets and held together with double-wrapped rubber bands. Although collected, they were essentially toys intended to bring fun. To be sure, a lot of kids likely took up the set’s offer to write their own captions.
But even if a collection was meticulously cared for from the outset, high-grade cards are still a rarity thanks in large part to centering issues.
As Marvel’s impact on popular culture continues to be felt, 1966 Donruss Marvel Super Heroes trading cards have become more popular. However, one could also argue that the set is still, even today, overlooked. It’s not as fancy as modern sets and it doesn’t seem to have been as widely collected as baseball cards from the period or other entertainment properties like Topps extensive multi-set run with Batman in 1966. That means it’s lacking some of the nostalgia and personal connections other sets have.
Nostalgia or not, when someone goes looking for the first Spider-Man or Thor trading cards, they’re going to end up here. And that’s what makes 1966 Donruss Marvel Super Heroes so important.
1966 Donruss Marvel Super Heroes Checklist
Set size: 66 cards
Cards per pack: 5
Packs per box: 24
Shop for 1966 Donruss Marvel Super Heroes packs and boxes on eBay.
Base Set Checklist
66 cards.
Buy on eBay:
1 Captain America – I Love These Class Parties!
2 Captain America – But Lady the Subscription Only Costs $3.98!
3 Captain America – Write Your Own
4 Captain America / Bucky – You’re Going to Love Our Steam Room!
5 Captain America – I Told You to Keep Those Pigeons Out of My Yard.
6 Captain America / Bucky – These Class Parties Give Me a Headache!
7 Captain America – Write Your Own
8 Captain America – You and Your Fire Sales!
9 Captain America / Bucky – Don’t Go to Pieces Over the Crab Grass!
10 Captain America – Write Your Own
11 Captain America – I Got It for 362 Books of Stamps!
12 Iron Man – “Get the Lead Out!”
13 Iron Man – I Hate These Toy Kits!
14 Iron Man – Do You Have Iron Deficiency Anemia?
15 Iron Man – Write Your Own
16 Iron Man – To Get Your Atom Smasher Send in 5 Box Tops and $1,000,000.
17 Iron Man – And You Said Add a Little More Lighter Fluid
18 Iron Man – Write Your Own
19 Iron Man – Please, I’d Rather Do It Myself.
20 Iron Man – Write Your Own
21 Iron Man – That Chick Really Puts Me in Orbit!
22 Iron Man – When Did You First Notice Those Stomach Pains?
23 Daredevil – But Halloween Is Next Week!
24 Daredevil – Let Hurts Put You in the Drivers’ Seat!
25 Daredevil – Write Your Own
26 Daredevil – I’m Sorry I’m Tied-Up This Evening!
27 Daredevil – With These Trading Stamps…You Can Get Anything!
28 Daredevil – He Still Thinks He’s in the Circus!
29 Daredevil – Wait ‘Till I Turn the Antenna!
30 Daredevil – Write Your Own
31 Daredevil – I Didn’t Know You Had a Game Room!
32 Daredevil – How’s This for a Finish?
33 Daredevil – Write Your Own
34 Spider-Man – Next Time I’ll Fly the Kite!
35 Spider-Man – Next Time You Change the Tire!
36 Spider-Man – Write Your Own
37 Spider-Man – Just What I Needed, a Bug Bomb!
38 Spider-Man / Scorpion – What’ Ya Mean 50¢ Extra for Gift Wrapping!
39 Spider-Man – I Made a Before and After Commercial.
40 Spider-Man – This Fly Paper Is Rough on the Hair!
41 Spider-Man – Just Fixing a Little!
42 Spider-Man – I Meant…Hang Up the Phone!
43 Spider-Man – Those Kids & Those Build-It-Yourself A-Bomb Kits!
44 Spider-Man – Write Your Own
45 Hulk – Write Your Own
46 Hulk – These P.T.A. Meetings Drive Me Crazy!
47 Hulk – OK, So You’re the Green Giant!
48 Hulk – When I Was a 82 Lb. Weakling.
49 Hulk – Come on Out and Play!
50 Hulk – But I Wanted an A-Bomb for Christmas!
51 Hulk – Let’s Go Swimming Buddy!
52 Hulk / The Leader – From Now on Take Your Coffee Breaks with the Rest of the Guests.
53 Hulk – This Will Really Curl Your Hair!
54 Hulk – Watch That First Step!
55 Hulk – I Don’t Believe I’ve Met You Guys.
56 Thor – She’s Always Hiding the Soap
57 Thor – I’d Rather Fight…But I Don’t Smoke
58 Thor – The Peasants Are Always Throwing Rocks
59 Thor – I Don’t Care If You Have “We Tried Harder Buttons!”
60 Thor – Just, Who Does Your Hair?
61 Thor – I Get 8 Shaves from Each Blade Koo-Coo!
62 Thor – I Think the Trouble Is in the Fuel Pump!
63 Thor – So, I Don’t Want Any Scout Cookies!
64 Thor – We Try Harder…We’re Only No. Two
65 Thor – Write Your Own
66 Thor – Write Your Own
