by Lawrence E. Pacheco In the unlimited world of memorabilia collecting, there are numerous items a collector can purchase... action figures, games, movie props, coins, stamps, autographs, bottle caps, vintage clothing... the list goes on and on. On the ever popular world of the internet, this is no exception. On occasion, there will be items which raise ethical questions, like last September's Bizarro Demerit recipient who tried to sell a Christopher Reeve domain name for an exorbitant price. This month, a seller on eBay has posted the sale of an original cape worn by Kirk Alyn in the 1948 Superman serial. You may be asking, "so what's the problem? I think it's great that a piece of history is being sold!" The problem: This historical cape has been cut into tiny swatches and is being sold framed! That's right! An actual "screen-worn" Kirk Alyn cape is being sold... piece by piece! Apparently this cape was part of a full costume that was sold flawless to an interested party by SuperMuseum curator and Superman historian Jim Hambrick. When the seller of the swatches was contacted he mentioned that he does not own the costume and that he "paid (the owner) to cut the cape." The seller is also offering up fragments of capes worn by Christopher Reeve and John Haymes Newton (of the Superboy television series fame). In contrast, swatches of fabric have been sold online that came from the actual bolts of material used in making costumes for George Reeves. This is wonderful! It doesn't in anyway destroy the original costume and yet the buyer can still feel a sense of pride knowing it's historically connected. To quote an Indiana Jones line, "it belongs in a museum!" Why is something so important treated so poorly? Whether in a public museum or proudly owned by a private collector, this piece of Superman history should be kept intact. Not dissected for the sake of a quick profit. We hope that those of you who shop on eBay and Superman fans alike will boycott this item. For this reason, it receives our Bizarro Demerit.

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