Phantom Rubber Stamp Ring

The Phantom Rubber Stamp Ring was released by Frew Publications in Australia in 1953. The ring was initially advertised by Frew Publications as free giveaway item in a variety of their comic books, with a coupon required to be posted with a stamped self-addressed envelope.

Frew Publications was founded in 1948 by Ron Forsyth, Jim Richardson, Jack Eisen & Peter Watson (the ‘Frew’ name was derived from the last initials of each name). Frew Publications boasts the longest running English language Phantom comic book series in the world.

Frew Publications 1st issue titled ‘Enter The Phantom’ was published on the 9th of September 1948, and contains the story, ‘The Slave Traders’ by Lee Falk and drawn by Ray Moore. Phantom comics published by Frew Publications continue to be released fortnightly to-this-day.

The Phantom Rubber Stamp Ring is made of rubber containing a raised image of a skull at the top to replicate the Skull Ring worn by the Phantom on his right hand. The back of the ring is closed, containing the word ‘Phantom’ across the band. They were produced in varying colors, including blue, red and green. The blue version can be seen below.

The ring was designed to be used in a similar way as a traditional stamp, dipped in ink, with an image of the Phantoms Skull mark left behind on the desired surface. An image of what the Phantom Rubber Stamp Ring imprints can be seen below.

Frew Publications advertised Phantom merchandise (which was produced by John Kendall Co) in publications such as Giantsize, Super Yank Comics, Cartoon Comics, Catman, Lot O Fun and Sir Falcon. Between 1953 and 1964, there were a total of 10 different advertisements for the Phantom Rubber Stamp Ring, which can be seen below.