Vancouver Collection Comics to be Offered by Heritage!

Outstanding Page Quality Sets Collection Apart from All Other Pedigrees

Dallas, TX: In the long history of comic pedigrees, there are a number of legendary names, such as Mile High, "D," and Larson. But there's another important pedigree collection that remains largely unknown, except to the most advanced collectors.

The comics in the Vancouver Collection were originally acquired between 1939 and 1953, discovered in 1996 when the original owner passed away, and pedigreed and graded by CGC in 2003. Today, the Vancouver Collection stands out from the rest due to the dazzling page quality its books display.

"There were 253 comics and a few coloring books in the original collection," said Ed Jaster, Vice President for Dallas-based Heritage, "as well as about 7,500 books. The comics ran from 1939 to 1953 and covered most genres, with a heavy emphasis on humor, but with plenty of superhero issues also. There was only one 1939 issue, a copy of Single Series #15, but the collection really starts in 1941, with the heaviest emphasis on the period between 1945 and 1951."

"The outstanding condition, and the stunning page quality, is explained by the way the original collector stored these books," Jaster said. "Never bagged or boarded - as virtually no one kept comics that way before the 1970s - this collector stored his comics between newspapers and kept them flat in boxes. When the newspapers were examined, it was found that they came from the same time period as the comics they protected, so one can presume that they had been socked away and left undisturbed until they were sold in 1996. Keeping the comics in this fashion, coupled with Canada's naturally cool climate, allowed them to remain in the gleaming, near-pristine condition in which we find them today."

"Chris Bell, who originally purchased the collection, contacted CGC in 2003 with the idea of grading and pedigreeing the collection," Jaster continued. "CGC has very strict policies on what it will and will not pedigree, but the stunning condition of these books, including Timely issues that graded a fantastic 9.8, convinced them that a pedigree designation was appropriate. Bell eventually sold the entirety of the comic collection, although he kept the coloring books. Those that keep track of our auctions will remember that some of the CGC-graded issues have appeared in past auctions, beginning in August 2005."

"It's important to note," Jaster said, "the comments made by Matt Nelson, Stephen Ritter, Mark Haspel, and West Stephan in their upcoming book, The Guide to Comic Book Pedigrees: The Greatest Collections Ever Discovered Vol. 1. Regarding the Vancouver Collection, they say, 'Right now, Vancouvers rate in the top 3 of the 38 Golden Age pedigrees assessed in grade with a median grade of 9.3. They fall behind only the Gaines File Copies and the San Francisco pedigree. However, the Vancouver books are number one in page quality with a Page Quality (PQ) Score of 0.25, placing them ahead of every other pedigree, with the next closest at 0.56 and no other one below 1.00. Of the books CGC-graded to date, an amazing 88% have been rated with white pages. No other Golden Age pedigree comes close to this. Only one book was graded off-white with the rest off-white to white or better.'"

"Our upcoming auction is particularly exciting, as it represents the first time the collecting world at large has seen most of the previously uncertified issues," Jaster said. "Heritage is offering 178 of the original 253 comics, some on August 2 and some in the Final Session on August 7. This is a perfect opportunity for collectors to obtain some of these outstanding books, which can be seen on our website at www.HA.com, accompanied by full-color, enlargeable images, and complete and informative catalog descriptions. Once you find something you just can't live without, you can even place your bids online."

The comics from the Vancouver Collection will be offered in Heritage's upcoming Vintage Comic and Comic Art auction, to be held August 2-4, 2007, at Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore, MD, with the Final Session on August 7 online at www.HA.com.

Witness #1 Vancouver pedigree (Marvel, 1948) CGC NM 9.4 White pages:
ESTIMATE: $6,000 & up

Funny Stuff #8 Vancouver pedigree (DC, 1946) CGC NM/MT 9.8 White pages:
ESTIMATE: $750 & up

Atomic Comics #1 Vancouver pedigree (Green Publishing Co., 1946) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages:
ESTIMATE: $5,000 & up

Charlie Chan #2 Vancouver pedigree (Crestwood/Headline, 1948) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages:
ESTIMATE: $1,700 & up

Western Comics #5 Vancouver pedigree (DC, 1948) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages:
ESTIMATE: $1,200 & up

Prospective consignors and sellers of Comics and Comic Art are invited to www.HA.com/Sell. Or simply email Ed Jaster at EdJ@HA.com, or call 1-800-872-6467, ext. 288.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Client Services at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 150, or visit www.HA.com/Catalog to order by email.