December 13, 2011: "Superman: III" Dark Costume Heading to Auction

Profiles in History will be holding their "Icons of Hollywood Auction" at Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA on December 15th, 16th, and 17th.

Among the items up for bids will be an original "Dark" Superman costume worn by Christopher Reeve in "Superman: III" which was featured in the movie during the scenes where the Man of Steel is affected by the synthetic tar-laced Kryptonite, turning him angry, depressed and destructive.

According to Profiles in History, the costume consists of a long-sleeve leotard of dark blue and red stretch jersey, with chest emblazoned with the trademark Superman "S", scarlet briefs, a pair of matching blue stretch tights, a dark yellow-painted leather belt, long flowing cape of scarlet wool with padded shoulders and interior bias label handwritten "C. Reeve Walking Col/D /no.2", the back having a dark yellow Superman "S" logo with black stitched borders. The oval openings surrounded with Velcro are present on each hip through the red briefs for wire/aerial work.

The costume is mounted on a custom display mannequin with a head crafted in the likeness of Christopher Reeve featuring a pewter finish and replica boots to complete the display. The costume was acquired directly from Warner Bros. and comes with a Warner Bros. COA. It is expected to sell between US$50,000 and $70,000.

Other Superman related items to be featured include:

  • A signed first edition of "The Adventures of Superman" by George Lowther which featured the first book appearance of Superman (US$2,000 - $3,000)
  • 2 United Kingdom front-of-house lobby card sets from "Batman" (1966) and "Superman Flies Again" (1954) (US$200-$300)
  • An Alex Toth original production storyboard from Hanna-Barbera's "The Superfriends" (US$300-$500)
  • An Original Superman production cel and hand-painted background from Hanna-Barbera's "The Superfriends", signed by Joe Shuster (US$300-$500)
  • The complete "Icons of Hollywood Auction" catalog is currently available for order or download at http://bid.profilesinhistory.com.