A true KEY artifact of American popular culture, Deadwood Dick Library Vol. 1 #7 (1899), titled “The Phantom Miner; or, Deadwood Dick’s Bonanza,” represents the earliest form of serialized hero storytelling that directly influenced pulp magazines and comic books. Published by the Arthur Westbrook Company and written by Edward L. Wheeler, creator of Deadwood Dick, this issue is part of the foundational DNA of modern comics.

This CGC-certified 6.5 Fine+ copy with Cream to Off-White pages is the highest graded example known, placing it at the absolute top of the census for this issue. Given the fragile nature of dime novels—printed on inexpensive paper and rarely preserved—survival in this condition is exceptionally rare.

The cover remains visually appealing with strong period illustration and typography, capturing the rugged frontier adventure that made Deadwood Dick one of the first recurring American “heroes.” High-grade, slabbed examples of these early publications are seldom encountered, and top census copies are effectively irreplaceable once absorbed into advanced collections.

For collectors of Western Americana, early pulp literature, or the origins of comic book storytelling, this represents a cornerstone acquisition.