Elvis Presley’s 1974 “Tiger Man” sunglasses, made by Beverly Hills optician Dennis Roberts and worn frequently by The King, proved the most evocative and alluring artifact related to Presley Heritage Auctions’ Elvis Memorabilia Signature Auction, realizing $22,500 at the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis, Tennessee on Tuesday, August 14, 2012. All prices include Heritage’s buyer’s premium.
The auction, which unfolded in front of a packed house, featured more than 300 lots of Elvis-related memorabilia which brought more than $620,000 altogether.
“Elvis remains an immensely popular figure in American music and pop culture,” said Margaret Barrett, Director of Entertainment & Music Auctions at Heritage. “His immense collectability continues to feed a steady market, as shown by the prices in this auction, which routinely bested our pre-auction estimates.”
One of the most hotly contested lots of the day was a very rare Elvis Presley Love Me Tender standee (20th Century Fox, 1956), a stunning piece of promotional material from Elvis’ first film and one that continues to be among his most popular. Against an estimate of $2,500+, the standee quickly caught fire and soared to a final price realized of $20,000. The six foot tall heavy die-cut cardboard display shows Presley in a singing and guitar playing pose from the film the first – and last – in which Elvis did not get top billing.
A trio of lots followed that, taken altogether, give a fine overall picture of The King of Rock n’ Roll as a man and a musician, starting with an Elvis-owned 1973 Giannini Craviola Acoustic Guitar (realized: $18,125), Presley's Custom Gold and Diamond Wristwatch (realized: $16,250.), given to him as a gift from Colonel Tom Parker and a Colt Python Double Action Revolver (realized: $13,750), one of Elvis’ favorite guns, which he used frequently for target practice.
Elvis was very generous with his jewelry to his friends, many girlfriends and admirers and it always plays a key role in any Elvis event. Several pieces garnered significant collector attention in the weeks leading up to the auction, including an Elvis-owned Diamond Cluster Ring (c. 1970s), which realized $12,500 and an Elvis “TCB” necklace gifted to Jackie Kahane, a stunning necklace given to comedian Jackie Kahane in the early 1970s, that also brought $12,500.
Personally-owned and worn clothing was also at a premium as an Elvis c. 1960s dark red and black patterned narrow-lapel single-breasted Sy Devore jacket brought $12,500 and an Elvis-autographed Lansky Brothers Trench Coat, worn by him and later given as a gift to a friend, with an inscription brought $12,188.
Rounding out the top lots of the auction is a February 6, 1955 Elvis concert poster for a pair of shows at Ellis Auditorium in Memphis, which realized $11,875.
“Neither of the performances Elvis gave that day at Ellis Auditorium makes this a significant piece of Rock and Roll history,” said Barrett. “It's what happened between the two shows that would change Elvis' life and the music world forever. In between these performances Elvis’ then-manager, local DJ Bob Neal introduced his young star to Colonel Tom Parker who would eventually take over complete management of Elvis’ career. For the immediate, Neal would continue to represent Elvis, but Parker would soon become a co-manager, then soon take over as sole manager of Elvis.”
