By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
King Features Syndicate and The Perth Mint have partnered on an exclusive collection of commemorative coins for the comic book hero The Phantom.
The licensing deal between the two companies was negotiated by Merchantwise, King Features’ Australian agent.
“We are thrilled to bring King Features Syndicate’s The Phantom together with The Perth Mint for this exclusive collection of commemorative coins,” said Merchantwise director, Kerryn McCormack. “Honoring the legacy of the iconic comic book hero that is The Phantom, this will no doubt be an absolute success and must-have for fans and collectors alike.”
The Perth Mint is a trading enterprise owned by the Western Australian government that produces a wide range of high-quality precious metal bullion and collector coins. The collector coins are locally designed by The Perth Mint employees.
The Phantom coin collection contains three newly-issued silver coins featuring The Phantom character in his trademark bodysuit and mask.
The three coins include a 2-oz Silver Antiqued style coin, a 1-oz Silver style coin and a 1-oz Silver Colored style coin.
The coins are all mounted on colored presentation cards with a certificate of authenticity.
The 1-oz Silver Colored coin and 1-oz Silver coins were each limited to 1,000 coins issued and have already sold out.
“The Perth Mint has done a beautiful job capturing the power of The Phantom’s legacy in this stunning collection of exclusive collectible coins,” said King Features’ VP, Carla Silva. “That two of the limited-edition coins have already sold out demonstrates how strong The Phantom’s fanbase is around the world and how eager they are to acquire quality branded product.”
A limited number of 2-oz Silver Antiqued coins remain available from the 2,000 coins issued. The 2-oz coin is housed in a branded black and purple circular presentation case which includes an image of The Phantom’s skull mark with illuminated eyes on the underside of the lid.
Created by Lee Falk in 1936 for a comic strip, The Phantom is a crime-fighting hero that operates in the fictional country of Bangalla, Africa. The character was the first superhero to wear a mask and skin-tight suit, which soon became a standard as comic book heroes like Superman (1938), Batman (1939), and The Flash (1940) were created soon after.
Believed to be immortal, The Phantom (also known as The Ghost Who Walks) is actually a mantle that has been passed down through the same family since 1536.
Since its initial creation, the franchise has expanded to include films, TV programming, video games, licensed products, and more.
King Features Syndicate has owned the rights to The Phantom franchise since it originally launched in 1936.
“The Phantom has been a comic book hero for generations of people around the world and we love that we are able to honor The Ghost Who Walks with our spectacular collectibles,” said The Perth Mint manager, Neil Vance. “Producing The Phantom series has provided our teams the opportunity to introduce some innovations to our range, including the battery-powered light-up skull mark image in the packaging for the 2oz silver antiqued colored coin.”
The Phantom commemorative coins can be purchased from the official Perth Mint website while supplies last.
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