Bidding for this lot will end on Wednesday, March 26th. The auction will begin at 10:30AM PDT and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Thursday, March 27th or Friday, March 28th.

A Superman (Christopher Reeve) articulating special effects miniature from Richard Donner's Superman. Flying miniatures were used during the film for some shots of Superman (Christopher Reeve) flying through the sky.

Superman won a total of 19 awards and was nominated for 23, three of which were Oscar® nominations for Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Music Original Score. One of the awards won was an Academy Award® Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects given to Les Bowie, Colin Chilvers, Denys N. Coop, Roy Field, Derek Meddings, and Zoran Perisic.

This lot consists of a painted fiberglass figure sculpted to resemble Reeve dressed in a blue and red Superman suit with red leather boots. The suit is made from the same custom-made woven nylon fabric used for the full-size Superman costumes. The head and limbs are moveable through sockets and the interior of the body is filled with mechanical components with several rods protruding from the figure's back. This mechanical flapper device was added to create the illusion of Superman's cape billowing in frame-by-frame motion-control photography, which would not be possible with a simple fan. The flutter effect was achieved via a motor that powered a camshaft tied to the rods, causing them to move up and down. The cape is not included with the figure. A similarly designed rig was used for some shots of Reeve flying.

It is believed that the figure's head was repainted at some point after filming and the costume was recently cleaned to remove grime from storage. This lot exhibits chipping paint to the body, stains and discoloration on the suit, minor peeling nylon on the belt, and grime on the boots. Dimensions: 54" x 18" x 10" (137.25 cm x 45.75 cm x 25.5 cm)

Contains mechanical components; see notice in the Buyer's Guide.

Estimate: $20,000 - 40,000