Superman III Costume Sells for $53k at Auction

Last week, one of Christopher Reeve’s Superman suits sold at a Planet Hollywood auction for $53,550. Reports say that it was the highest value item in the catalog of that auction round. The shirt and tights are part of the original suit Reeve wore in the 1983 film while the cape, belt, and boots are replicas made to complete the outfit.

Bidding began at $10,000 and was sold for $53,550 after 11 bids. The shirt still has the original label reading, “Christopher Reeve Normal 18628 Superman 3.” The tights also have stitching that closed the hop openings where the cables connected to the costume for flying scenes. The fabric itself is now an antique with the machine that weaved no longer existing. The maximum estimate for this sale was $40,000.

Last year, the “dark” Superman costume from the same movie, which featured a Jekyll and Hyde-like storyline for Superman, sold in April. A complete screen-used costume from one of the previous films sold for up to $800,000. While the qualities of the original movies did decline, Reeve was always able to pull off these suits which went largely unchanged throughout the series.