Batman has long had a home on the silver screen, but his first appearance in theaters wasn’t the campy ‘60s film – it dates back to 1943, during the age of movie serials. The Batman was a 15-chapter movie serial from Columbia Pictures and starred Lewis Wilson as Batman with Douglas Croft as Robin.

The story featured an original villain, named Dr. Daka, and put Batman in the role of a secret agent for the U.S. government. Batman sought out Dr. Daka, a Japanese Imperial agent working out of Gotham City during WWII and is operating a crime ring. Daka has created a powerful ray gun that can disintegrate anything it shoots but needs to steal Gotham’s radium supply to power it. Batman and Robin eventually take down the evil doctor and put a stop to his schemes.

The Batman actually introduced a number of details that have carried on to further, more contemporary adaptations. These included the Batcave itself, the fact that the cave is entered via a secret entrance hidden in a grandfather clock, as well as Alfred Pennyworth’s actual physical look. Alfred had previously been somewhat stocky, but William Austin’s portrayal of him influenced how he’s looked ever since.

Hake’s Americana & Collectibles currently has an item from this era of Batman’s history in their ongoing auction, which will end on July 11-13, 2017. The item is a Batman newspaper-issued premium mask, originally issued by the Philadelphia Record in 1943. The mask is made of a thin cardboard and helps to advertise the Batman comic strips that appeared in the newspaper. This is one of the rarest Batman items from any era, and Hake’s has only ever offered a few examples of it over the years; interested bidders should get their bids in soon.