The Phantom Enamel Set was produced by Monkeys of Melbourne in Australia in 1993. The King Features Syndicate licensed set of 4 unique Phantom collectibles come housed in a presentation storage box.
Monkeys of Melbourne was established in Australia by Wendy Cochran and Shane Kennedy in 1984. The company was initially based at Banks Street, South Melbourne, before later expanding due to the companies growth to Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick and Chapel Street, Prahran both located in Melbourne.
Monkeys of Melbourne specialized and produced a range of premoulded ceramics (such as plates, lamps, vases, toby mugs and bowls) which were hand-painted and fired in a modernist style. The quality and range of products are highly regarded amongst collectors.
Ceramic works were also hand-signed and year dated, usually as simply ‘Monkey’ on the earlier pieces, then ‘© Monkeys Handpainted Melbourne’ or ‘© Monkeys Handpainted Melb’ or ‘© Monkeys of Melbourne’ as time went by.
In the early 1990s, Monkeys of Melbourne commenced producing licensed merchandise, including Ren and Stimpy, Micky Mouse, Betty Boop, and the Phantom. Most of these items were mass produced in factories, with pre-produced designs printed on goods (such as mugs and glassware) and not hand-painted.
The company ceased operating in 1999.
The Phantom Enamel Set came housed in a cardboard box with a plastic see-through liftoff lid. The box is void of text, with illustrations of the Phantoms skull mark printed along the sides. A black plastic tray is found within the box to hold the 4 collectibles in their designated spots.
The set consists of a money clip, 2 pins and a bookmark, produced from metal with a reflective gold finish. The Phantom is seen on all 4 items, with a head profile image seen on 3 of the items, with a half body image seen on one of the pins, all finished in a clear gloss enamel.
All 4 Phantom collectibles contain copyright information on the reverse, plus the year of manufacture. An example can be seen below
The Phantom 