A high grade Phantom comic book published by Gold Key in USA in November 1962 achieved an amazing selling price recently.

Sold by Heritage Auctions in the USA on the 27th of November 2023, the Phantom comic book edition number 1 published by Gold Key, graded 9.2 by CGC, achieved a selling price of $1,200 USD, which includes the auction house Buyer’s Premium amount.

Published in the USA, this series of Phantom comic books were initially released by Gold Key in 1962 (issue numbers 1 to 17), but taken over by King Comics in 1966 (issue numbers 18 to 28), who was also taken over by Charlton Comics in 1969 (issue numbers 30 to 74). This series is the longest running American comic book series dedicated to the Phantom, with the last issue ending at number 74, on January 1977.

The series was printed in full color, with the Gold Key and King Comics editions containing approximately 36 pages, whilst the Charlton Comics editions contained 22 pages, all in soft cover.

The Phantom comic book sold by Heritage Auctions, edition number 1, contains a painted cover by artist George Wilson, featuring the Phantom riding Hero, with Devil running by their side, with the Phantom shooting a pistol into the air. The comic book contains 36 color pages measures 17cm x 26cm. Three Phantom comic strip stories are published within:

• The Origin – written by Bill Harris and illustrated by Bill Lignante.
• The Game – written by Lee Falk & Bill Harris and illustrated by Bill Lignante.
• Rings – written by Bill Harris and illustrated by Bill Lignante.

The front and back cover of the comic sold by Heritage Auctions on the 27th of November 2023 graded 9.2 by CGC can be seen below. It’s an amazing example of an iconic comic book.

The description provided in the auction listing reads:

Phantom #1 (Gold Key, 1962) CGC NM – 9.2 Off-white to white pages. Painted skull cover by George Wilson. Origin of the Phantom revealed.

Phantom comic books, especially those published in the early years in the USA exhibiting high grade quality continue to be in high demand by comic book collectors, both by Phantom collectors and by comic collectors in general. It’s great to see Phantom comic books continue to appeal in a positive way within the collecting community.

To view the ended auction of the Phantom comic book number 1, selling on the Heritage Auctions website, click HERE

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