CGC is now recognizing a 60th pedigree collection named Chinatown for its origin in the Chinatown district of Vancouver, Canada. It was discovered by Patrick Shaughnessy of Golden Age Collectables in 1999. It contains many high grade, white paged copies of over 1,300 comics from the ‘40s and ‘50s.

CGC has graded 80% of the collection, of which one-third are the highest graded or tied for the highest graded on CGC’s census. The collection features 33 copies graded 9.8, with 95 more in 9.6, and 139 in 9.4. The white page quality designation was given to 42% of the graded copies and 41% are off-white to white.

The collection began in ’44 when Canada started loosening restrictions on comic book imports. Those restrictions were enforced again in ’47 and relaxed again in ’51, giving this collection a unique quality considering the availability of American comics in Canada during this period.

“In March of 1999, I was contacted by the family of a woman who had recently passed away. During the process of preparing the family home for sale, they had discovered over 1,300 long-forgotten comic books inside a cupboard in the basement. The wide-ranging collection had been started in 1944 by the late woman’s husband, who had passed in 1982. The collection was added to by the daughter, who developed an interest in comic books, particularly with movie themes. The comics sat undisturbed for over 35 years,” Shaughnessy said about the collection.

The full story on the Chinatown Pedigree is available on CGC’s website.