Bonhams & Goodman of Australia held a toy and memorabilia auction on Sunday which included a partial Superman costume attributed to the films of the 70s and 80s starring Christopher Reeve. This set realized a hammer price of $22,500 Australia Dollars, or about $27,000 including Buyer’s Premium (or about $17,500/$21,000 USD).
The costume was Lot 208 of the May 24, 2009 “Collectables” sale: LINK
Below is an archive of the listing and photos:
Marketing Description:
Lot No. 208
Superman costume worn by Christopher Reeve in the Superman filmscomprising a royal blue leotard with ‘red and yellow ‘S’ logo to chest, zip closure to back, four press studs to shoulders for cape attachment (cape not present), one slit to each thigh, labelled inside ‘Bermans & Nathan 40 Camden St., London NW1’, with typed inscription ‘CHRISTOPHER REEVE NORMAL 18628 SUPERMAN 3’; a pair of red polyamid trunks with four wide belt loops, labelled inside ‘Bermans & Nathan 40 Camden St., London NW1’, with typed inscription ‘CHRISTOPHER REEVE 12312 SUPERMAN’ and additionally inscribed in blue ink ‘NEW’; and a yellow vinyl belt with oval ‘buckle’, beige leather backing and two hook fasteners, with ‘Bermans & Nathan’ label, typed inscription indistinct but appears to read ‘Harness 15128 SUPERMAN II’, the back of the belt also inscribed in black ink ‘HB 19 3’; a ‘Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Certificate of Authenticity’ confirming that the the leotard was ‘made for Christopher Reeve as ‘Superman’ in the production Superman III’; a certificate of authenticity from ‘The Prop Store of London’ regarding the leotard; a letter from ‘The Prop Store of London’ confirming that the briefs were ‘worn by Christopher Reeve in…Superman The Movie’; and a supplement to TV week,1979 showing a colour image of Christopher Reeve in the role of Superman (a lot)
It is understood that this leotard was used to film flying scenes. Wires were inserted through the slits at the thigh in order to raise Christopher Reeve into the air.
Superman is an icon of twentieth century Popular Culture. His distinctive blue, red and yellow crime fighting costume makes him arguably the most recognisable character in movie history. He was created in 1932 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and first appeared in ‘Action Comic #1’ in 1938. The huge success of the comic book hero led to several spin-offs including a long-running radio series and seventeen short films. In 1978 the first feature length Superman movie opened with Christopher Reeve in the lead role. The film was a box office hit and at the time was Warner Bros. biggest ever commercial success. Christopher Reeve went on to star as the superhero in three further feature length movies.
Estimate $15,000-$20,000
Hammer Price: $22,500
Price IBP: $27,000
By contrast, as noted in a separate article published today (see “Costume Junkie” Returns “Super Hollywood” Superman Costume To Marketplace on eBay), a Superman costume with “Super Hollywood”/Armando Alvarez/Ana Mungia provenance remains unsold on eBay with a $3,500 “Buy It Now” price.
For more information about Superman costumes in the marketplace:
Jason DeBord