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Superhero Museum auction

Started by bstevenscomics-migration,

31 posts in this topic

bstevenscomics-migration

bstevenscomics-migration

Posted
Posted

Seems a failed Superhero Museum in Indianapolis is auctioning the collection. Auction catalog to post on Friday the 14th. Had anyone heard of this place? I'm from Indy but had never heard of it. A shame.

 

http://www.antiquehelper.com/upcoming-auctions/282

 

http://www.artfixdaily.com/artwire/release/2404-museum-collection-of-superhero-memorabilia-to-be-sold-at-antique-

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binarysunrise

binarysunrise

Posted
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OMFG, the original owner must have signed over the entire collection as collateral on the museum. :screwy:

 

Items offered in the January 22 sale come to Antique Helper following seizure by court order.

 

What are you talking about? In this economy, opening a museum is a guaranteed success. Almost no risk! :makepoint:

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binarysunrise

binarysunrise

Posted
Posted

From January 2007:

Superheroes museum slated for downtown

Superhero collector Dane Nash has secured permits to open an American Superheroes Museum downtown.

 

The Fishers resident has one of the world's largest collections of superhero memorabilia and plans to display items—including a Batmobile and costumes worn by every actor who has played Superman—in the 3,200-square-foot space, which once housed Kipp Brothers.

 

Nash, 52, hopes to open the museum and a small gift shop in the spring. The museum is on Louisiana Street across from Union Station. Admission would cost $5, but children under 8 and "real-life heroes," such as firefighters, police officers and members of the military, would get in free.

http://64.255.242.152/portals/6/ibjdaily/html/daily_story_011107_1.html

 

From Sept 2007:

Up Up and Away to the Super Hero Museum!

Nerds of the world unite!

 

There is now an entire museum dedicated to those fictional characters upon which you've projected your own feelings of inadequacy and impotency and vicariously lived out a fantasy life of vigilantism in which the evils of the world are all righted and life is grand indeed.

 

Yes folks, it's the American Super Heroes Museum!

 

Located in downtown Indianapolis, the 3,300-square-foot museum honors Batman, Superman, and other American comic book heroes--and none of those wussy European ones, like Obelix, for example.

 

The collection features thousands of super hero "toys, games, posters, puzzles, figurines and collectibles," as well as an impressive array of costumes featured in the numerous live action movies and TV series which have promulgated the super hero legend for more than half a century now.

 

The coolest thing, however, is the museum's life size replica of the Batmobile. Even non-nerds like myself have a nerd-like obsession with this thing. I mean, haven't we all wanted to cry out, "To the Batmobile!' and then peel away burning some serious rubber? Yes, you know what I'm talking about! http://www.gadling.com/2007/09/22/up-up-and-away-to-the-super-hero-museum/

 

And then from Jan 2008:

Super hero museum closes

Superman leaps tall buildings in a single bound (note: If he can fly, why does he bother leaping? Just asking).

 

Dane Nash took his own enormous leap—of faith—when he decided to put his Superman and Batman memorabilia collection—including a full-sized Batmobile and Batboat—in a downtown storefront and called it the American Super Heroes Museum.

 

Alas, Nash announces on the Museum’s voicemail that its doors are “closed forever.” (The website is still up, though, at www.heroesmuseum.com.)

 

Reasons aren’t given, but a Monopoly-playing level of business knowledge should be enough to point to a tricky location, downtown rent, and a limited-appeal collection as contributing factors. Or maybe there’s something else.

 

Whatever the case, I had hopes that the eccentric American Super Heroes would, if not soar, at least be around when the next Batman movie opened.

 

Heck, Dr. Ted’s Musical Marvels, a museum of mechanical instruments, is still open in southern Indiana (need proof, visit www.drteds.com). The Museum of Miniature Houses is still housed in Carmel (see www.museumofminiatures.org).

 

Surely Nash’s collection shouldn’t be hidden in a bat cave or fortress of solitude somewhere.

http://www.ibj.com/super-hero-museum-closes/PARAMS/post/629

 

And some info about the auction:

Despite the attention showered upon it, after only 10 months, legal and financial problems lead to the closing of American Superheroes Museum and dispersal the collections.

This well-known collection has since been offered, and removed, twice at auction, in 2009 and 2010.

All items will be sold without reserve.

http://artfixdaily.com/artwire/release/7650-museum-collection-of-superhero-memorabilia-to-be-sold-at-antique-

 

 

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binarysunrise

binarysunrise

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Pretty sad stuff. Other articles I found said it contained the 2nd largest Superman collection, that it had been 50 years of collecting for Dane Nash, that he had sold a great number of comics to buy the George Reeves costume, that he had quit a successful insurance job to launch the museum (of which he was the sole employee), and that all of these items were seized by court order.

 

So, who's going? :popcorn:

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DiceX

DiceX

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Posted

He wasn't very prepared if he was only open for 5 months before it closed.

Did he really think the money would immediately start rolling in?

 

Holy naivety, Bat-Man.

 

 

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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Yep. Why try to do something in real life when you can sit on your and laugh at people who actually try to do something for the hobby.

 

I am not laughing at him, no more than I am laughing at starvation in 3rd world countries when I give thanks for the food in front of me.

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binarysunrise

binarysunrise

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Yep. Why try to do something in real life when you can sit on your and laugh at people who actually try to do something for the hobby.

 

I am not laughing at him, no more than I am laughing at starvation in 3rd world countries when I give thanks for the food in front of me.

 

SInce it's more of a chuckle? :baiting:

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binarysunrise

binarysunrise

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New video clip of a news reporter checking out the collection. I specifically enjoy the auctioneer not quite knowing which superman costume was which ("this might be..." "I think this one is.."), and the newsreporter picking up one of the Superman figures and playing with it. I'm betting he didn't even ask if it was a rare/delicate one or not.

http://www.wthr.com/video?clipId=5468805&topVideoCatNo=103348&autoStart=true

 

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binarysunrise

binarysunrise

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seems to be a lot of "in the style of" disclaimers (shrug)

 

There's a website I ran across before that detailed sales of authentic Superman costumes, and what to look for, and highlighted some auction sales of questionable costumes. And I have a feeling that the previously cancelled auctions of this material might have been talked about.

 

But then again, a bunch of the labels are wrong anyways. (Kirk Alyn photos are really Christopher Reeve, Wayne Boring never played Jimmy Olsen in the tv show, etc.) I sort of wonder if they know what they have, how much it should be worth, and how to handle it. Including the 30" Superman doll from Superman Returns as a "featured" auction doesn't help.

 

I'm also wondering where the good stuff is. At the moment, all I see is a few packed tables of superman junk. Stuff you can pick up on ebay any day of the week. This was supposed to be the 2nd largest Superman collection (and there were other superheroes represented as well). I wouldn't pay $5 to see this....

 

Then again, the news article mentioned the b+w Reeves costume, the Bat-boat, and the batmobile still had to arrive. So perhaps there's more???

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binarysunrise

binarysunrise

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Ok, here's a link to a previous discussion about the questioned authenticity of the costumes (this was when it was previously offered for sale):

http://disc.yourwebapps.com/discussion.cgi?disc=40415;article=65670;title=Adventures%20of%20Superman;pagemark=25

 

And here's the best source of info for finding out whether a costume is authentic or not:

http://www.originalprop.com/blog/category/market-watch/superman-costume-market-watch/

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binarysunrise

binarysunrise

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I've been following this auction closely, amused with how this auction house is running things. For example. Say you were a reputable auction house, with a great superhero collection. And one of your key items is the ultra-rare black-and-white version of George Reeves costume. To show that it is a genuine piece of delicate 60yr old museum-quality art, you'd of course get Earl from the back room to try it on:

82303_view%2002_02.jpg

 

Personally, I can't wait to see him modeling the Supergirl costume...

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