Tribune-Review Newspaper Vending Machine Display

The Phantom Tribune-Review Newspaper Vending Machine Display Board was issued in USA in 1981/82.

The ‘Tribune-Review Publishing Company’ was purchased by Richard Mellon Scaife in 1970. Scaife was an heir to the Mellon banking, oil, and aluminum fortune, until his passing in July 2014. The ‘Tribune-Review’ is part of the Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Group, which includes the Tribune-Review, Blairsville Dispatch, and the Sharpsburg Herald. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as ‘the Trib’, was the second largest daily newspaper serving the metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. In December 2016, the company transitioned to an all-digital format.

For decades newspapers have used comic art, sports events and celebrity images to attract readers to newspaper vending machines. Most newspaper vending machines would display the newspapers front page displayed behind a glass door and directly underneath an eye-catching image on thin card stock. These cardstock display boards generally came in three sizes (11” x 17” – 21” x 17” – 19.5” x 14″) and were easily interchangeable when a new point of interest was chosen by the newspapers company. The display boards were also used in news agencies and newsstands.

Most newspaper display boards were un-dated. Dates of production can only be a guestimate. Assumptions are usually based on researching artwork design, sports events, entertainment dates and even when newspapers may of merged.

The Phantom Tribune-Review Newspaper Vending Machine Display Board measures 11” x 17” and contains an illustration of the Phantom by Sy Barry. This image of the Phantom appeared in a Sunday newspaper strip dating the 11th of January, 1981, then again a week later on the 18th of January, 1981.  

The comic strip image/panel is from the 113th Phantom Sunday story titled ‘Crook’s Haven’. The Sunday story ran from the 23rd of November, 1980 thru until the 24th of May, 1981. ‘Crook’s Haven’ was published in Australia in Frew Publications Phantom comic book numbers 733 and 1133.

Through research, we also know that during the early to mid-1980’s (1984/85), card stock display boards were replaced with thin acrylic plastic. So we can fairly accurately assess that the Phantom Tribune-Review Newspaper Vending Machine Display Board was produced sometime after January 1981, and before 1984/85.

Thank you Christopher Smith for assisting with images and information.