Vintage Halloween costumes for sale this weekend

ELGIN, Ill. (WLS) -- "A present from mom and dad, it's a superman suit-just what I've always wanted," reads Chris Ecker off of a box, its once bright coloring faded over time.

The South Elgin resident slides the box out of a plastic bag, lifts the lid and reveals a comic book fan's treasure: a 1959 Superman Halloween costume complete with the "big red S" and cape.

Ecker found this relic of Halloweens past in 1985 and admits "from there I was kind of hooked" on vintage costume collecting.

He's grabbed them up fast-maybe not quite as fast as a speeding bullet.

"The artwork on them... it draws you in," Ecker explains, pointing out the bright colors on the boxes and masks themselves.

He's amassed a collection of several hundred with classic characters like E.T., The Thunderbirds, Dr. Doom and Darth Vader among them.

The boxes list dates back to the 1950s, but instead of lasting one Halloween they've survived for decades- mostly unchanged.

Although that's not the case for their now grown up fans, these admirers are still willing to pay hundreds of dollars for the memorabilia you can wear.

"They're invested in their heroes and pop culture icons," explains Ecker.

You can find your favorite costumes this Sunday at the Chicago Toy Show in St. Charles or on Ecker's Facebook page.