This article continues coverage of Superman costumes and costume components offered for sale publicly in the marketplace attributed to use in the Superman films of the 70s-80s starring Christopher Reeve and characterized as “original” and “authentic”.
This is an update to prior articles which archived information with regards to a costume offered for sale which the seller claims to have purchased from Antiquities of Las Vegas.
PLEASE NOTE: The owner of this costume would like to talk privately with anyone who has handled confirmed authentic costumes and/or has any expertise with genuine Superman wardrobe piece. If you can help, please contact me and I will put you in touch with the owner of this costume, or contact him directly through eBay via his “bidandbeyond” account.
Previously Published Articles Directly Related To This Costume:
- Superman Costumes in the Marketplace: January 2009, Part 1
- Superman Costumes in the Marketplace: January 2009, Part 2
Previously Published Articles Regarding Antiquities of Las Vegas:
- Signature House Entertainment Memorabilia Auctions – Questions, Observations
- Superman Costume in the Marketplace – “Antiquities” in Las Vegas
Antiquities of Las Vegas Superman Costume with Ana Mungia COA
Below is the information about this costume from the prior articles, which is followed by new, high resolution photos provided by the owner and further analysis.
eBay Seller: bidandbeyond
Auction Title: “SuperMan suit worn by Christopher Reeves Super man 1”
Noted Source/Provenance: None Stated
eBay Item #: 160309088785 (ended) | 160306264912 (ended)
End Date: 01/19/09 (ended) | 01/05/09 (ended)
Auction Result: Both Listings No Sale, Starting Bid $90,000.00, No Bids
Full Auction Archive: “SuperMan suit worn by Christopher Reeves Super man 1”
Description:
This is the original superman suit and boots worn in the original production of Superman 1 the movie by Christopher Reeves 1978 produced by Alexander Salkind and directed by Richard Donner.
The suit has been housed and protected in a glass case. (though i’ve been searching for a phone booth of the era for a great presentation).
Many documents supporting certificate of authenticity including a picture of Lois Lane with the suit. This is a prize find for any Superman collector. It will be worth many times the price in some more years to the right person.
Please excuse the pictures they were taken from my cell phone. Once in a lifetime opportunity. Please serious inquiries only.
Primary Photo:
Note:
The owner states that he purchased this costume from Antiquities in Las Vegas, and that it includes both an Antiquities COA and an Ana Mungia MGM Studios COA.
A different costume offered for sale at Antiquities in Las Vegas has been archived in a prior article (see Superman Costume in the Marketplace – “Antiquities” in Las Vegas) – per my correspondence with Antiquities at the time, the other costume also included a COA signed by Ana Mungia bearing Armando Alvarez’s company name, logo, and address – “Super Hollywood”.
At the time of the original Antiquities article last year, another collector sent me additional photos that he took of a costume on display in the Las Vegas store in 2005 which appeared to be different from the photos taken by another collector in 2008. The costume depicted in the 2005 photos – the color of the fabric, the mannequin – appear similar to the costume under review in this article:
The seller provided a greyscale scan of the Certificate of Authenticity he claims to have received with the Superman costume at the time of purchase from “Antiquities International – The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace”, as well as the Letter of Authenticity signed by “Ana Mungia – Wardrobe MGM Studios, Creative Design”:
Similar provenance bearing the same May 15, 1991 date and “Ana Mungia” signature accompanied a costume sold on eBay by “queenrocks” in January 2008 – one year ago:
The provenance of this costume was also a topic in the following articles:
This “queenrocks” costume and accompanying provenance was sent to me in September 2008. I published and archived high resolution photos of the costume as well as high resolution scans of the Super Hollywood Letter of Authenticity signed by Ana Mungia:
Below is a comparison between the “bidandbeyond” provenance and the provenance included with a costume archived in prior articles:
Though the “bidandbeyond” scan is grayscale, the seller states it is color with a signature in blue ink, like the one that originated from the “queenrocks” eBay auction.
Note that they bear the same date – May 15, 1991 – though the one the seller claims originated from Antiquities in Las Vegas lacks the “Super Hollywood” header and address.
Also of note is the discrepancy of the “Ana Mungia” signatures (“bidandbeyond” TOP, “queenrocks” MIDDLE, “50% Transparency Overlay BOTTOM):
Discrepancies with regards to the signatures of Ana Mungia has been discussed in prior articles:
High Resolution Photos
The owner of this costume from Antiquities recently provided higher resolution photos:
Comparison, Analysis, & Questions: Antiquities of Las Vegas, Super Hollywood, and Ana Mungia
In addition to comparing the paperwork from the Antiquities/Ana Mungia LOA with the costume previously sold on eBay by “queenrocks” with the similar Ana Mungia/Super Hollywood LOA, there are striking similarities between the two costumes as well (traits not found in any confirmed authentic costume that I am aware of).
The winner of the “queenrocks” eBay auction sent me both the costume and LOA for examination and high resolution photography and scanning back in October 2008 (see High Resolution Photo Reference Archive: Super Hollywood “Superman/Superboy Reference Costume”). The following compares those high resolution photos with the photos above provided by the owner of the Antiquities/Ana Mungia costume.
Note: I have a collection of photos of confirmed authentic costumes sent to me by other hobbyists, including examples from the Warner Bros. archives, and I have seen no photos of any genuine costumes with black Sharpie writing written along the inside zipper of the suits.
However, both of these Super Hollywood examples bear such writing. The writing style also appears to match.
The writing of ‘BERMAN NAthANS” are written in the same style, with the “S” missing from “BERMAN[S]” in both examples, and ALL CAPS except for the “th” in “NAthANS”.
Both also list “78” and “WAlK” and “WAlKiNG” both utilize ALL CAPS except for the “l” in “WAlK”.
Overall, both costumes also appear to be new/unused.
Both costumes are constructed with the loose and “tall” shorts as has been discussed in prior articles. As seen in this cropped still from the film, the shorts as seen in the film are more like “Speedos” than “Boxers” as seen with these two costumes:
Also note that the zipper that goes from the top blue section down through the red shorts match in comparing the two costumes, and they also have the same extra wide style belt loops.
Though the blue fabric in the two examples differ, the “S” chest emblems appear to match in style and method of attachment, with stitching that is very noticable. These differ significantly from those confirmed authentic examples.
Below is a direct comparison between the Antiquities costume and the confirmed authentic example owned by The Prop Store of London that was on exhibit at the Movieum in London:
Note that not only are entirely different types of fabric used (red, blue, and yellow), but the shape and method of attachement of the “S” sheild emblem is different as well.
Per The Prop Store of London:
This costume was designed by Yvonne Blake and constructed under the careful supervision of Noel Howard for Bermans and Nathans costumiers of London. It was made from a radical, brand new, specially formulated fabric which had to be flexible and yet not show any sweat stains or any other marks from the rigours of filming. (This was before the invention of “Spandex” of course!) The material was made on a single, now defunct weaving machine in Germany which also produced the judge outfits for Judge Dredd!
Previous articles reviewed in great depth the unique type of fabric used in the costumes made for the films:
- Original Superman Costume Reference Archive: Fabric Comparison
- “Prop Store Collection” Superman Costume, Fabric Discussion Continued
- “Prop Store Collection” Superman Costume, Fabric Discussion Continued, Part 2
- “Prop Store Collection” Superman Costume, Fabric Discussion Continued, Part 3
Below is a comparison between the authentic “Prop Store Collection” costume (LEFT) and the Antiquities costume (RIGHT):
Note that the type of material used for the Antiquities costume does not resemble the fabric seen in the confirmed authentic examples.
Antiquities of Las Vegas, Super Hollywood, Ana Mungia, Anastasia Salkind
An original prop collector sent me some photos taken on a trip to Las Vegas last year, of a Superman costume attributed to use by Christopher Reeve in the Superman films of the 70s and 80s. This appears to remain available for sale to the public at “Antiquities: The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace”.
Items for sale include a George Reeves Superman tunic and cape, and a Christopher Reeve “Superman III” full costume, as well as a second Christopher Reeve cape sold separately.
These are photos of the Christopher Reeve “Superman III” costume, priced at $84,995.00:
High Resolution Archive: “Antiquities” Superman III Costume
This is a close-up of the description and pricing:
High Resolution Archive: “Antiquities” Superman III Costume – Details & Pricing
This costume remains available for purchase at the Antiquities website, AntiquitiesLV.com (LINK), offered for $84,995.00:
High Resolution Archive: “Antiquities” Online Catalog – Superman Costume
I sent an e-mail to the store in April of 2008 asking some questions about the provenance of this costume:
From: Jason De Bord <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sun, 6 Apr 2008 12:14 pm
Subject: Superman Costume
Hello,
Could you tell me more about the background of the Superman costume you have for sale? Does it have a COA?
Thanks,
Jason
ooo
From: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2008 1:27 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Superman CostumeDear Jason:
Thank you for your interest in our amazing Superman worn costume. Yes, it indeed comes with COA and provenance that would make you very comfortable in acquiring this very special piece of movie history. One letter is Anna Mungia with Super Hollywood (one of the costumers for the Salkind family and worked for them for both movie and tv productions of Superman and Superboy), verifying the authenticity of the cape and says it was given to her as a gif for her work on the show, a part of the inventory of Disney MGM Studios in Florida. Also from Anastacia Salkind, the wife of Ilya Salkind, the producer of Superman. It will have the collector’s letter as well as certificate of authenticity. The cape also has been signed on the inside shoulder pad by both Margo Kidder (Lois Lane) and Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen).
You probably know the one that sold at the recent celebrity auction went for over $100,000. This one is priced at $84,995 and on our spring sale, I can offer it to you for $72,250 plus $300 shipping/crating/insurnace. If you would like it, please give me a call. Or if you wish to purchase via email, please provide full shipping address, phone and credit card information. I look forward to hearing from you and also feel free to call if you want further information and we can discuss size, presentation, and any other questions.
Be well!
James Dabrowski
Manager
Antiquities (702) 792-2274
ooo
From: Jason De Bord <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sun, 6 Apr 2008 2:02 pm
Subject: RE: Superman Costume
Mr. Dabrowski,
Thank you for the response and information. Some questions:
Who is the letter from and who is the COA from?
Could you tell me what the letters and COA say exactly?
Does the costume have any tags/writing in it?
Thanks again,
Jason
ooo
From: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2008 2:27 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Superman CostumeDear Jason:
I think my letter said exactly who the letters are from but perhaps I wasn’t clear: Anna Mungia, one of the costume makers for Superman, and the Salkinds, who created the Superman shows. It also has a letter from the collector from whom we bought it. As far as labels, yes there are tags from the old Disney MGM Studios, Lake Buena Vista Florida. Then it says C.R. for Christoper Reeve, and has the word “Walking”, so it was a walking part in costume in the movie. If you would like to give me your phone number, perhaps we can discuss it and I can answer your questions directly and clearly.
Be well!
James Dabrowski
Antiquities (702) 792-2274
ooo
As noted in a Superman Market Watch article this week (see Superman Costumes in the Marketplace: February 2009, Part 2), there is a number of Letters of Authenticity in the marketplace attributed to and bearing the signature of Anastasia Salkind, daughter of Superman producer Ilya Salkind.
I was contacted by Ms. Salkind and had a phone conversation with her several months ago, and her statement to me was that she only ever produced one (1) Letter of Authenticity.
In my coverage of the Superman marketplace, I have come across a number of examples of “Anastasia Salkind” Letters of Authenticity:
eBay Seller “tstaff1977” (see Superman Costumes in the Marketplace: February 2009, Part 2):
eBay Seller “kronicentertainment” (see “Superman Costumes in the Marketplace Round-Up: April, May“):
eBay Seller “istealthsim” (see “Superman Costumes in the Marketplace: June 2008, Part 1“):
eBay Seller “fearlessgreen” (see ““One of a Kind” Krypton Baby Superman Blanket – Update“)
No Photo/Scan of LOA Provided
Memorabilia Store “Antiquities of Las Vegas – The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace” (see “Superman Costume in the Marketplace – “Antiquities” in Las Vegas“)
No Photo/Scan of LOA Provided
Based on the information provided by Ms. Salkind, if accurate (i.e. that only one genuine LOA was ever produced by her), one could then conclude that at least five of the six of the documents referenced/depicted in archived auctions above are forgeries/counterfeit.
For more information, please reference: Market Watch | Superman
Jason De Bord