As reported in late December (see “eBay Auction: Greatest American Hero Costume“), there was an eBay listing for an “original” William Katt Greatest American Hero costume (eBay Item #220184242364) which raised concerns as to authenticity, and was determined to have been a replica by an expert on these wardrobe pieces.
As explained previously, because an original suit was purportedly copied many years ago, replica suits were introduced into the marketplace as “original”, making authentication of these suits highly problematic.
This is an archive of the listing and marketing description from the suit auctioned in December 2007 by eBay member bhilton01:
Marketing Description:
Hello. What I have here is a Greatest American Hero costume used in the TV series. Now it took me a long time to figure out what this outfit was. You see my brother passed away recently and left me this in his will. He didn’t leave a description of it at all, just “this outfit goes to…”. I searched on the internet for Will Katt (which is written on the top and pants) and came up with Katt Williams and others who didn’t seem to be the person until I came upon a reference to William Katt the actor and saw a photo of him in the costume and it all came together.
My brother worked in the TV industry in various positions at Disney, MGM studios, ABC and NBC and a few other I think. So he must have been given this or got it some other way. I really don’t know. He moved back to England after living and working in the USA since 1968 in 1991 (I moved to Australia in 1969) and he remained there until his death.I don’t have any interest in this costume, and would like to see it in the hands of someone who would treasure it as much as I’m sure my late brother did. This would make an interesting Christmas gift to any fan of the show.
Postage costs will vary depending on where you live, so please contact me for postage cost to your area. At the end of the auction, please contact me for total price.
If you would like to know anything more, please feel free to contact me. Thank you.
As noted in the original article, my communications with the seller, “Barbara”, were friendly and cordial.
Also, as noted in the previous article, I am friends with an industry professional who is the foremost expert on this television series and the original props and costumes from the show. This expert has three verified authentic William Katt hero suits – one example from each of the three seasons – from impeccable sources. He personally knows Judy Corbett (the original costumer designer), Stephen J. Cannell (the creator and executive producer), and William Katt (the star) and has discussed the production extensively with those individuals. He is also familiar with the details of the replica suits in the marketplace.
He shared with me the specific details and differences and “tells” of the original suits compared with the suit offered at auction, and he is confident that this suit publicly offered as “original” was a reproduction, not an authentic “original” suit from the production. As explained, the differences cover specific elements of the costume – the chest emblem, the belt, the belt buckle, the zippers, the costume tags – and a variety of details – materials used, size, design, style of stitching, and more. Which doesn’t account for the new appearance of this costume that would be over 25 years old.
The expert had shared his assessment with the seller via eBay, prior to the auction end, and the seller publicly posted his comments and her reply within the “Q&A” area of the listing.
The December 2007 Auction Results
The private auction (i.e. the bidder identities are not publicly viewable) ended at $2,425.00 with 12 bids (and one bid retraction in the amount of $2,400.00, retracted with the reason “entered wrong amount”). Since it was a private auction, it cannot be determined who bid, who retracted, or even how many different eBay members participated in bidding. In any event, the undisclosed reserve amount was not met:
Higher Resolution Archive: bhilton01 eBay Auction – “William Katt Greatest American Hero original costume”
Since writing the previous article, I have continued to research the public offering of this “original” costume.
The October 2005 Replica Suit
As I explained in the first article, an original and authentic Greatest American Hero costume is something I’ve pursued for many years, and therefore I have compiled and archived a significant amount of information.
Back in October 2005, an eBay seller, “troxin”, listed one of the aforementioned replica suits on eBay, and clearly marketed the costume as a replica, non-original copy – below is my archive of the auction:
Higher Resolution Archive: trioxin eBay Auction – “Greatest American Hero Original Prop costume suit rplca”
Here is the exact text from the marketing description:
Ok so here it is.. or so it seems to be, an original Greatest American Hero prop costume…. ok not quite. I bought this from a collector years back, ended up being an exact duplicate he made from the original that he kept but recently sold(he will not admit that). It even says W. Katt (3) on the lining of the pants. I was sold this assuming it was authentic because that is what I was told and paid a pretty penny for it.. or a few hundred thousand pretty pennies(I think thats right). Ok so what I have here is an exact replica of what looks like a second or third season costume. Other than a few loose stitches around a a couple of the zippers it’s in perfect shape. The chest emblem is most impressive, must have been very difficult to duplicate, looks exactly like original. It has zippers in all the same spots as the original, which makes it easy to put on. I tried this on one time 3 or 4 years ago, I am 6ft with a medium build 185lb.. was a little too tight but looked awesome. If you are 5’6 to 5’10 and not over 180 it should fit really good. This also comes with a belt I bought seperatly which is about a 32 or less inch waist size(you might want to find a better one the grey on this belt matches though). The belt buckle is a hand painted resin duplicate which I made from one of the originals which I own. At the bottom of the legs there are hooks, If you own any regular red tennis shoes the hooks will hook right over the lower part of where you would start lacing shoestrings. Other than the shoes this is a complete costume. The auction consists of Tunic, Cape, Pants(or whatever you call them), belt and belt buckle. This is the next best thing to having an original, in some cases better, an exact replica that you can actually wear. I am starting the price where it’s worth it to me to sell. Shipping will be $25.00 and it will be packaged safely , insured and shipped 2nd day fedex or UPS. More photos at lookadit.com , type in 123456 for the phonenumber.
I actually spoke with this seller at the time of the auction, in that I was interested in learning more about the replica/copy suits, and even contemplated buying it so as to be able to better identify both replica and original suits.
I ultimately passed, and the suit was won by an eBay member, calleaume, for $1,110.00.
Comparing the October 2005 Suit and the December 2007 Suit
I have recently spoken with the eBay seller of the replica suit, trioxin, and he shared a number of details with me about the replica suit and the full details of the transaction. He has granted me permission to note that the suit he sold to calleaume in October 2005 – as seen in the eBay listing archive – and he feels it appears to match the suit offered by bhilton01 in December 2007, with the following differences: 1) the belt appears to be a different belt and 2) the December 2007 suit has more writing on the costume components than the suit he sold in October 2005.
I have taken close-up photos from each auction to compare (please note lighting, angle, etc., obviously not the same):
Higher Resolution Archive: Full Chest Emblem Comparisons – October 2005 vs December 2007
Higher Resolution Archive: Chest Emblem Detail Comparison – October 2005 vs December 2007
Though the quality and particulars of the photos differ, there are obviously striking similarities – the stitching pattens of the red emblem, the colors, the shapes, the detail at the “nose” the the design touching the outer circle, the dents/stresses/creases in the gray backing material, the shapes/detailing of the five “eye” details at the “head” of the design, and more.
bhilton01 and the Backstory of the December 2007 Suit
Most of this backstory is incorporated into the actual eBay marketing remarks and Q&A with eBay members, though there are striking contrasts between the original story and the story as amended via answering questions from eBay members.
Again, from the original eBay auction description:
Hello. What I have here is a Greatest American Hero costume used in the TV series. Now it took me a long time to figure out what this outfit was. You see my brother passed away recently and left me this in his will. He didn’t leave a description of it at all, just “this outfit goes to…”. I searched on the internet for Will Katt (which is written on the top and pants) and came up with Katt Williams and others who didn’t seem to be the person until I came upon a reference to William Katt the actor and saw a photo of him in the costume and it all came together.
My brother worked in the TV industry in various positions at Disney, MGM studios, ABC and NBC and a few other I think. So he must have been given this or got it some other way. I really don’t know. He moved back to England after living and working in the USA since 1968 in 1991 (I moved to Australia in 1969) and he remained there until his death.
I don’t have any interest in this costume, and would like to see it in the hands of someone who would treasure it as much as I’m sure my late brother did. This would make an interesting Christmas gift to any fan of the show.
From the subsequent eBay Q&A (bhilton01 Q&A Archive):
Q: what’s your reserve price? Dec-17-07
A: The reserve price is not very high at least from what I think it is worth. My brother was very well off and when i was informed that he left me this outfit in his will it is nothing at all what i expected,to say the least.I expected something like an expensive dress or suit that I could use.I’m sure he wouldn’t have held onto this if it was worthless. I ordered a Christies prop catalogue as I was told a costume like this was auctioned off in the 90’s but I couldn’t find anything like this outfit. I thought that would give me an idea of a price, and I couldn’t see anything like this on ebay, so i put a reserve price I thought was reasonable. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.
Q: Can you tell me your brother’s name and where he lived? I live in Los Angeles and have some contacts. I’d like to check around and see if I can link his name to this show. What was his position? Thanks! Dec-18-07
A: Hello, his name was Philip Hilton and he lived right there in Los Angeles. He ran a furniture store (Hilton Furniture)during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Our father was the inventor of the modular lounge suite, and started the furniture business in England. Once the business was well established in England, my father sent my brother to America to run a store there,whilst my sister and myself were sent here to Australia to run a similar store. My brother became involved with the TV and film studios in the California area, as a source of hiring furniture such as lounge suites, wardrobes, dressing tables, dining tables, beds, lamps, cushions and whatever else was needed to dress the film sets or houses where filming was taking place. Different TV or film studios would contract him to work as a furniture supplier or property supplier or other similar job titles, but simply he was responsible for the supply of furniture needed for each particular studio contract. I can only assume that this outfit was given to him as a gift for his services, but that I can’t be sure of. Thank you for the question and feel free to ask me any questions you like.Please let me know if you find anyone who may have known him, that would be extremely exciting.
Q: I don’t know if you know this – but this costume is NOT screen used. It’s a repro done by a Florida dealer who is known for copying costumes and selling them off as “authentic” . I happen to own 4 costumes from the show, am friends with the people who made them as well as actor William Katt. The buckle pictured above was cast in resin from a metal buckle, the symbol is not constructed the same as originals, and the zippers on the leg are tab (never used) instead of teardrop shaped. It’s your choice to change the header of your auction to let people know what they are getting. Dec-19-07
A: Hello, I will begin by saying that I do not have any knowledge of this dealer in Florida, although I have been educated by other members that this is a serious concern regarding authenticity. This whole experience has been very exciting, but my heart sinks when responding to a person such as yourself. You and others like you are so knowledgable on this subject, and the response to this outfit is overwhelming, as I just don’t have the knowledge or mental fortitude to cope with the constant questions. I have done my best to discover the meaning of this outfit, and I have done my best to bring it to public attention, in the hope that it was indeed valuable to someone, or in turn held in the hands of someone whom may appreciate it, as I’m sure my brother had for so many years. I do not know how or why my brother came to possess such an outfit, and I can only assume he would pass it onto me if it had some value. Among the vintage cars and Henry Scott Tuke paintings left for other members of the family, I was handed over this outfit. The company it must have kept with other very valuable possessions, leaves no doubt in my mind it is authentic. Thank you for your statement.
Q: Hi – Just thought I would give you a hint on this item and the questions you’ve been receiving. Your costume is 100% authentic and don’t let some of these questions lead you think otherwise. Usually this is just a ploy by buyers to scare away other bidders via negative comments, thus they lessen the competition and can buy the item for less money. Good luck with the auction. It’s a great piece! Dec-20-07
A: Hello, This experience has been very exciting, and I have been nothing but honest and open with my responses to all the questions I have received.Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this outfit.
This most striking contrast between the story as originally posted in the auction, and the story as recounted in the Q&A responses and private e-mails.
Excerpt from the original eBay auction description:
My brother worked in the TV industry in various positions at Disney, MGM studios, ABC and NBC and a few other I think.
Excerpt from the subsequent eBay Q&A:
Hello, his name was Philip Hilton and he lived right there in Los Angeles. He ran a furniture store (Hilton Furniture)during the 1970’s and 1980’s.
I asked the seller, “Barbara” (the name assigned to e-mail correspondence in the “From” field), for some evidence of the existence of her family business of several decades, “Hilton Furniture”. “Barbara” was unable to produce anything. I have also used the Internet to attempt to find some proof of existence of this company, and have found none. Nor have I found any evidence of a “Philip Hilton” working in television at Disney, MGM, ABC, NBC, or anywhere else in the film or television industries.
The Replica Buyer (October 2005) – calleaume
According to the seller of the replica suit on eBay in October 2005, as well as public eBay information, the buyer “calleaume”, resides in Sydney Australia.
Per eBay, seller “bhilton01” also resides in Sydney Australia.
In performing some research on the Internet, I found many discussion forum posts by “calleaume” (and alternately “allchris”) advertising/promoting eBay auctions offering “authentic” Superman costumes under the “calleaume” eBay account:
BlueTights.net (LINK)
Higher Resolution Archive: BlueTights.net “Authentic Chris reeve costume for sale now on ebay!!” post
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BlueTights.net (LINK)
Higher Resolution Archive: BlueTights.net “Cape,Boots, & Belt worn by Chris Reeve for sale now on ebay” post
There are a total of 12 similar posts at BlueTights.net: LINK
SupermanHomePage.com (LINK)
Higher Resolution Archive: SupermanHomePage.com “Christopher Reeve Superman III Costume” post
Again, there are many similar such posts at SupermanHomePage.com: LINK
I also found an eBay auction from “calleaume” for a “Gerard Christopher Superboy/Superman costume” (eBay Item #140163770194) from October 2007, which appears to have sold for $1,025.00 (though, being a private auction, as was the case with the bhilton01 auction, I could not confirm this):
Higher Resolution Archive: calleaume eBay Listing “Gerard Christopher Superboy/Superman costume”
When I spoke to Armando Alvarez on the phone recently, I did ask him if he knew a Chris in Australia, to which he replied “Chris Alleaume, yeah, I’ve sold him stuff”. There is also mutual eBay feedback between “calleaume” and “super38”.
Also note that in Friday’s follow-up article to my Superman-related series of articles (see “Questions About Superman Costumes in the Marketplace: Authenticity, Sources, Quantity“, “Update“, “Update 2“, “Update 3“), in reply to my “Ten Outstanding Questions About “Super Hollywood” Superman Costumes in the Marketplace“, Armando Alvarez stated (in response to the question of how many Greatest American Hero costumes he has sold, and his current viewpoint on the authenticity of those costumes he sold):
“GAH 4 and 3 were questionable. Although they all looked identical to me, and I was not, nor am I a fan or expert of GAH.”
In my research, I also found that Chris Alleaume has a website, ChrisAlleaume.com, promoting various businesses, like this one (see “Internet Money Revealed“):
Higher Resolution Archive: ChrisAlleaume.com $900 Per Month
“calleaume” and “bhilton01”
More than a month after “Barbara’s” eBay auction for the Greatest American Hero costume, I sent an e-mail inquiring about the status of the costume and received this response:
From: Barbara
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 1:11 AM
To: Jason De Bord
Subject: RE: You’ve received an answer to your question about item William Katt Greatest American Hero original costumeHello Jason,
No I did not successfully sell the suit. I have decided not to try again as I found it very stressful.
I replied asking what the reserve was on the costume, only instead of sending the e-mail to “Barbara”, I sent it to the e-mail address posted by Chris Alleaume on the Superman forums. I received no response. Every e-mail sent to “Barbara” was typically responded to within 12 hours or less at the time of the auction.
I sent the next e-mail to “Barbara”:
From: Jason De Bord
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:33 PM
To: Barbara
Subject: RE: You’ve received an answer to your question about item William Katt Greatest American Hero original costumeHi Barbara,
Do you know Chris Alleaume?
Thanks,
Jason
Again, no response. I sent another, three days later:
From: Jason De Bord
Sent: Friday, 1 February 2008 7:03 PM
To: Barbara
Subject: RE: You’ve received an answer to your question about item William Katt Greatest American Hero original costumeHi Barbara,
Any comment?
Thanks,
Jason
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From: Barbara
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 1:27 AM
To: Jason De Bord
Subject: RE: You’ve received an answer to your question about item William Katt Greatest American Hero original costumeHello Jason,
Sorry I could not reply earlier but my computer only returned today after repairs.
I was having considerable problems with my Microsoft email. Mail would arrive but the Microsoft mail would stop working and I was not able to do anything. I contacted optus and they told me I have a virus on this computer.
I had to call on the services of a computer technician, and he explained I have a root virus or some other word I do not remember in my computer; I should have stopped him so I could write these details down.
Apparently this allowed my mail to be copied and sent to emails saved in my address book, of which I only had one, but another one I did not know of was added.
Chris contacted me about the outfit also and we had lengthy talks as I have had with you. He also lives in Sydney and came to see the outfit, but did not buy it. However he did offer to stay in touch with me.
As is always the way with learning new things, I still have plenty to learn.
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From: Jason De Bord
Sent: Saturday, 2 February 2008 2:48 PM
To: Barbara
Subject: RE: You’ve received an answer to your question about item William Katt Greatest American Hero original costumeHi Barbara,
What were his thoughts on the costume?
Thanks again,
Jason
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From: Barbara
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 12:53 AM
To: Jason De Bord
Subject: RE: You’ve received an answer to your question about item William Katt Greatest American Hero original costumeHello Jason,
He had a thorough look at the outfit, and did not say all that much. He did say that he has a collection of similar costumes he acquired over the years.
He was very cordial and I hope to keep in touch with him.
_____
From: Jason De Bord
Sent: Sunday, 3 February 2008 4:47 PM
To: BarbaraSubject: RE: You’ve received an answer to your question about item William Katt Greatest American Hero original costume
Hi Barbara,
Do you know if he was interested in buying it, or just curious about it?
What was your reserve?
Thanks,
Jason
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From: Barbara
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 10:32 PM
To: Jason De Bord
Subject: RE: You’ve received an answer to your question about item William Katt Greatest American Hero original costumeHello Jason,
Life certainly can surprise you at times. Chris contacted me out of the blue last night offering to buy the outfit.
I don’t think I should say what he offered me, but it was very generous.
He has the outfit now. So as they say, that is that.
_____
From: Jason De Bord
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 11:09 PM
To: Barbara
Subject: RE: You’ve received an answer to your question about item William Katt Greatest American Hero original costumeSo that is your story, for the record?
Jason
It has been over one week, and no further response.
Note: “Barbara” never once signed her name to any of her e-mails.
Summary
- Chris Alleaume of Sydney Australia bought a Greatest American Hero costume on eBay in October 2005 that was clearly and definitively marketed as a replica/copy (i.e. not “original”) for $1,110.00 under the username “calleaume”. Mr. Alleaume has not subsequently offered this replica suit for resale on eBay as “calleaume”.
- Chris Alleaume has purchased other Superman/Superboy costumes/accessories from Armando Alvarez (super38, Super Hollywood) and offered them for resale on eBay as “calleaume”.
- Chris Alleaume has a variety of Internet-marketed businesses, including one promoting turning one’s computer into a “Sales Machine” to “make money sitting at home” and “make $900 a month without really trying”.
- The seller of the October 2005 replica Greatest American Hero costume found that the “original” costume depicted in the “bhilton01” (“Barbara”) December 2007 auction appeared to match the costume he sold, apart from the belt and some writing on the inside of the suit.
- “Barbara” has presented an interesting story of inheriting an “original” Greatest American Hero costume from her brother, who “worked in the TV industry in various positions at Disney, MGM studios, ABC and NBC” and/or “ran a furniture store (Hilton Furniture)”. I have personally found no evidence or proof of his work in the industry nor the family company, “Hilton Furniture” in the public domain. “Barbara” was also unable to provide any evidence or proof in the discussion leading up to the auction.
- “Barbara” a new eBay user, created a new account to sell this costume. Yet it was a private auction, with an unstated reserve, and “Barbara” established a PayPal account prior to listing the costume on eBay.
- Per eBay, both “Barbara” and Mr. Alleaume reside in Sydney, Australia.
- “Barbara’s” Greatest American Hero costume did not sell at auction.
- I followed up five weeks later with some inquiries, and by chance, not only does “Barbara” claim to know Chris Alleaume, but claims that Mr. Alleaume actually came to her house to view the costume – and did not purchase it. Coincidentally, the costume appears identical to the one Mr. Alleaume purchased on eBay two years earlier, which he knew to be a replica/copy (not “original”).
- Also, coincidentally, 45 minutes after asking “Barbara” what the reserve was on the auction, and what Mr. Alleaume had thought of it, “Barbara” replied explaining that he immediately purchased it for a “generous” sum, “out of the blue”. I would assume the “generous” sum would be higher than the high bid amount at the end of the auction that did not meet the reserve (i.e. more than $2,425.00), which is interesting since Mr. Alleaume already acquired a replica suit that is the same in appearance and construction for $1,110.00 in 2005.
Jason De Bord
Additional Related Articles: Market Watch | Superman