Found on the U.S.-based Heritage Auctions website is a high-grade Phantom comic book, published by Harvey Comics in the United States in 1957.

Harvey Hits was an anthology series published by Harvey Comics that proved wildly successful, ultimately running for a staggering 122 issues. The series was launched with a splash, Harvey Comics tapped into a proven, fan-favorite character, featuring the Phantom in edition number one. While he originally debuted in daily newspaper strips back in 1936 and had been reprinted by other publishers, this 1957 issue is a major milestone as it marks the Phantom’s first appearance in the Harvey Comics series.

During the publication of Harvey Hits, the Phantom uniquely stood out as the sole adventure and hero character in a series otherwise dominated by Harvey Comics’ comedic and animated properties, such as Sad Sack, Richie Rich, and Casper. Throughout the 122-issue anthology run from 1957 to 1967, the Phantom headlined eight specific editions: issues #1 (September 1957), #6 (February 1958), #12 (August 1958), #15 (December 1958), #26 (November 1959), #36 (September 1960), #44 (May 1961), and #48 (September 1961). The stories published inside these Harvey editions primarily consisted of full-color reprints of Lee Falk’s classic syndicated daily and Sunday newspaper comic strips.

The Phantom graced the front cover of all eight Harvey Hits editions in which he was the lead feature, showcasing dynamic action scenes tailored to each lead story. These cover appearances highlight signature elements of his lore, starting with the iconic debut issue #1 depicting him riding his white stallion, Hero. This edition can be seen below, as seen in the Heritage Auctions auction listing, with the front cover illustrated by Joe Simon.

The comic book features the Phantom story “The Magic of the Little White Goddess”, also known as “Princess Valerie”, written by Lee Falk and illustrated by Ray Moore and Wilson McCoy. Beyond this main story, this debut issue also features a fun backup story (not featuring the Phantom) of “Shirl, the Jungle Girl” by Howard Nostrand. The comic book is published in full color.

Finding any 1950s comic in near-mint condition is a challenge, but finding this specific issue in such an impeccable state is incredibly rare, with this edition graded CGC NM- 9.2 with highly desirable White Pages. As of August 2026, there are only three copies in existence professionally graded at a 9.2, and absolutely none graded higher.

This exceptional Phantom comic book is part of Heritage Auctions’ 2026 September 24 – 26 Comic Books Signature Auction (#7469). Proxy bidding is currently open and will conclude just before the live internet session begins on Saturday the 26th of September. The listing can be found HERE.

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