Superman Costumes in the Marketplace Archive: December 2009

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”.

As archived last month, Startifacts is currently offering a costume for sale on eBay, though the price has been reduced following a failed sale and subsequent relists, dropping the “Buy It Now” price from $8,500 to $3,950.  Based on a review of the photos, this costume does not appear to be consistent with the confirmed authentic examples that I have personally handled and examined.

Also listed several times this month is a cape with letters of authenticity from Armando Alvarez and Ana Mugia, bearing the “Super Hollywood” company name and logo.  This piece is also not consistent with confirmed authentic examples that I am familiar with, but “inconclusive” examples that have flooded the marketplace with nothing to my knowledge proving that they were used in the Christopher Reeve films.  Interesting is a reference to “replica” capes signed by Margot Kidder, as I’m familiar with a number of capes autographed by her that were offered for sale as authentic and used in the Reeve/Salkind films.

eBay Seller: nutyhermit

Auction Title: “Authentic Original Superman Cape Christopher Reeve“

Noted Source/Provenance: “A number of years ago, I purchased this cape from Armado Alvarez of “Super Hollywood”. Over the years, he has offered numerous “hero” prop costumes from his personal collection. He got the cape from one of the wardrobe designers, Ana Mungia. The copy of the letter of provenance from Ms. Mungia is pictured. She relayed the cape was a personal gift (one of 3 I believe) from the Salkinds, who produced the Superboy series and also all the Christopher Reeve Superman movies.“

eBay Item #: 150398376684

End Date: 12/23/09

Auction Result: “Buy It Now” $1,500.00; No Bids – $1,000.00 Starting Bid Price

Full Auction Archive: “Authentic Original Superman Cape Christopher Reeve“

Description:

Original Superman Cape

Years ago, when I lived in Orlando, I was fortunate enough to have a couple VERY small parts in the Adventures of Superboy (played by Gerard Christopher) productions that were filmed at Universal Studios, down near Disney World. It was a dream come true because I grew up with The Adventures of Superman, played by George Reeves. (still the best in my opinion-RIP). I’d fly around the house and all over the neighborhood with my bath towel safety-pinned around my neck (like several million other kids at the time.) Luckily I never broke a single bone from flying off the roof of the house or garage! Other kids weren’t so lucky.

A number of years ago, I purchased this cape from Armado Alvarez of “Super Hollywood”. Over the years, he has offered numerous “hero” prop costumes from his personal collection. He got the cape from one of the wardrobe designers, Ana Mungia. The copy of the letter of provenance from Ms. Mungia is pictured. She relayed the cape was a personal gift (one of 3 I believe) from the Salkinds, who produced the Superboy series and also all the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. This cape, made in late 70’s for Superman II, was a model for the Superboy capes produced later. You can see the snaps used to secure the cape, which are sewn into a padded area that goes around the neck. There are also two straps that go under the arms which are not shown. There are several markings on the cape around some of the interior seams, “Berman Inv. C.R. …S.M. II Walking” and in another area “SM II CR Walking B/N.” As I recall, these Superman movies were filmed at Berman Studios in England.

This has been the pride of my Superman collection. I also have one of two “replica” capes autographed by Margot Kidder from the Wizard World Chicago 2005 convention, which is similar but the workmanship and material isn’t nearly as nice. I’m hanging onto that one for the time being…

These capes and costumes are NOT offered very often and when they are, they usually go for big bucks and stashed away by serious collectors. Some complete costumes have gone for 10’s of thousands of dollars! A number of years ago, one of the George Reeves costumes bought over $126,000….a Christopher Reeve cape, similar to this one, sold in 1997 for over $17,000, one of the George Reeves”S” emblems sold on Ebay recently for $10,000, and today a framed and mounted 2″ square from one of his capes goes for $100-$150. This could be a chance to get a whole cape and be the cream of the crop in your collection-or for someone VERY special! This beautiful cape has been kept away from light, in a zipper bag, in a non-smoking home, and is in EXCELLENT condition.

This incredible offering includes the cape and documentation letters from Ana Mungia and Armondo Alvarez of Super Hollywood. It does NOT include the autographed photo to me from Gerard Christopher.

Happy Bidding!! Sorry, ebay requires PayPal as the only payment methods accepted these days.

(Disclaimer: Caution-This cape will NOT make you fly….unless you have a Super imagination.)

Marketing Photos:

Limited to a review of the photos above, this cape exhibits many of the discrepancies identified in my hands on comparison of multiple authentic and problematic costumes back in May.

With the cape itself, the “S” emblem does not appear to match those found in costumes identified as authentic, nor is the asset tracking method consistent with those same genuine pieces.

The Armando Alvarez “Letter of Authenticity” depicted in the auction photos states:

Letter of Authenticity
Superman cape
July 18th 2005
Superman Chris Reeve Red Wool cape

I Armando Alvarez, owner of Super Hollywood, transfer ownership of said Superman Red Wool cape with yellow “S” emblem to Mr. Michael Edwards. I have personally been collecting original movie costumes and props for close to 15 years. And have sold various items, including: the original Adam West Batman cowl, The John Wesley Shipp Flash costume, as well as recently selling two original Dean Cain Superman costumes as well as an original George Reeves color costume from the 1950’s series.

The Superman cape in the possession of Mr. Edwards originated from Ana Mungia, former head costumer for the MGM Disney Studios and the head costumer for the Salkinds during the Orlando production. This cape comes with an original coa signed by her on “Super Hollywood” headed letter. She worked closely with the Salkinds during the production of the Adventures of Superboy series, and was given various original Christopher Reeves Superman costume to use as models for the Superboy version.

[Signature]

Sincerely,
Armando Alvarez
Super Hollywood

eBay Seller: startifacts

Auction Title: “SUPERMAN 3 Christopher Reeve WORN original Hero outfit; WE HAVE REDUCED THE PRICE FOR QUICK SALE!!! BID NOW!!!!“

Noted Source/Provenance: “The 2 piece Superman costume was acquired directly from producers of the movie. | The authentic 2-piece Superman costume comes complete with a lifetime money back guarantee and a Startifacts notarized certificate of authenticity which guarantees the items full and undeniable authenticity.“

eBay Item #: 220529698270

End Date: 12/25/09

Auction Result: “Buy It Now” $3,950.00; No Bids – $500.00 Starting Bid Price with Unstated Reserve [Note: Was Originally Listed With an $8,500 "Buy It Now" Price]

Full Auction Archive: “SUPERMAN 3 Christopher Reeve WORN original Hero outfit“

Description:

Startifacts 2009 Annual Rock’in Hollywood Auction Extravaganza

You now can own some of Hollywood’s most sought after memorabilia that is currently available for a limited time only to purchase. For the next two months Startifacts is going to reopen their private vault to the public so you now have the chance to own something from your favorite star that you never thought would be possible.

Startifacts is the worlds leading supplier of authentic Hollywood and Rock-N-Roll artifacts, and was founded by Michael Kronick. Over the past decade Michael has collected a vast amount of rare and very desirable Hollywood/Rock n Roll costumes and props from some of the largest studios, wardrobe houses, and prop makers around. You currently have an extremely rare opportunity to own some of the hottest, most popular, meaningful wardrobes, autographs, instruments, and personal effects of your favorite stars!

RELISTED DUE TO NON PAYING BIDDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Superman 3 Christopher Reeve WORN original Hero outfit

Authentic Tunic & Tights Rare Bermans & Nathan tags

Startifacts presents the original Superman 3 outfit, tunic and tights, worn by Christopher Reeve. The Superman costume from the 1983 superhero film is world wide recognizable. This is your rare opportunity to obtain this iconic memorabilia.

During the movie Superman has different costumes for both “heroic” and “bad” superman. This superman costume is of the “bad” superman.

The superman costume still has the original tag from Bermans & Nathans sown on the interior of the costume. The 2 piece Superman costume was acquired directly from producers of the movie. It is still in excellent condition.

The authentic 2-piece Superman costume comes complete with a lifetime money back guarantee and a Startifacts notarized certificate of authenticity which guarantees the items full and undeniable authenticity.

Hot! Most sought after collection

Startifacts celebrity memorabilia is a company founded by Michael Kronick in the late 1980’s. Over the past decade, Startifacts has become the worlds leading supplier of authentic Hollywood and Rock-N-Roll artifacts. Kronick amassed one of the world’s largest collections of celebrity wardrobe, autographs, instruments, and personal effects.

Growing exponentially

After attending film school in Southern California, Kronick, with help of his older filmmaker brother, began buying up vast amounts of Hollywood costumes and props from some of the countries largest studios, wardrobe houses, and prop makers. At this time, there were no Planet Hollywoods, and the thought of collecting Hollywood artifacts did not exist. Today, celebrity memorabilia is one of, if not the most sought after of all collectibles. Many items acquired decades ago, have retained and surpassed record setting prices, both at auction and private sale. An example of this would be a Superman Christopher Reeve costume which was purchased for $5000 over a decade ago, now commands over ten times its original value.

Huge Productivity

As years went by, Startifacts have been involved with some of the worlds leading auctions and auction houses. From the original Bruce Lee and Grace Kelly auctions to the record setting Kiss auction. Startifact’s contacts within the entertainment industry are unsurpassed. Some of the more notable projects include creating and procuring a multi-million dollar exhibition of original memorabilia for Donald Trump’s Taj Mahal Atlantic City Casino. When Hard Rock Café wanted the only set of Kiss costumes ever sold, it was Startifacts who on behalf of the band Kiss, sold the outfits for a record setting sum. It was startifacts who made worldwide headlines in their quest to acquire the world famous “white bronco” during the infamous O.J Simpson court case. Startifacts has also acquired and brokered multi-millions of dollars worth of genuine autographs and artifacts, from a multitude of celebrities including the likes of, Pamela Anderson, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Barbara Streisand, Ozzy Osbourne, Kurt Cobain, Muhammad Ali, Guns-N-Roses, Iggy Pop, Kiss, Prince, Magic Johnson, and a vast number of others.

Big Business

Startifacts also supplies and has become a leader of both licensed and one of a kind material to dozens of retail stores worldwide including clients in Asia, Europe, South America, and Australia. From unique limited editions such as an original piece of the Titanic to an original electric guitar from Jimi Hendrix.

The Real Deal

All of Startifacts items go through an in depth authentication process, and are guaranteed to be genuine for life.

Making News

Startifacts gets press. Over the past decades, Startifacts and its owner Michael Kronick have been featured in countless television, newspaper, radio, and print medias. Startifacts has been featured in numerous television shows and news articles, including Entertainment tonight, CNN, NBC, ABC News, Fox Television, as well as the New York and L.A. Times, The Las Vegas Sun, Minneapolis Star & Tribune, Autograph Collector, Collecting Magazine, Night Club & Bar Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Ebay Magazine and nearly every weekly publication from the Star to the Globe, to the National Enquirer, and Dozens of Radio Stations worldwide

Marketing Photos:

Limited to a review of the photos above, many of the discrepancies identified in my hands on analysis of multiple authentic and problematic costumes back in May are pertinent in an evaluation of this costume.  Additionally, observations of issues found in a study of many Bermans and Nathans tags in past articles are useful as a point of reference.  Two key articles can be found below:

• Reference:  Superman Costume Comparative Analysis: Warner Bros. Archive, Authenticated vs. “Super Hollywood”

• Reference:  Superman Costumes in the Marketplace: Bermans & Nathans Wardrobe Tag Analysis

Concerns with the costume above include:

• Color of fabric
• Type of fabric
• Placement of “S” emblem
• Size of “S” emblem
• Overall pattern of suit (including cut of neckline)
• Size and pattern of shorts
• Characteristics of Bermans and Nathans tag (including lack of typed information/handwritten information, size, type of fabric, staining, stitching on all four sides)

Additionally, the handwriting style seen in the “Bermans and Nathans” tag on the Startifacts costume is very similar to the handwriting seen written inside of a “Super Hollywood” costume archived in high resolution in past Original Prop Blog articles (see “Super Hollywood” Superman III Costume Case Study: High Resolution Photo Archive & Analysis):

Click for Full Resolution

More observations can be found in the last article in this “Archive” series.

For more information about Superman costumes, please reference:

• Market Watch | Superman

Jason DeBord