Elvis Presley’s Birthday Celebrated With An Auction

Elvis Presley‘s birthday was celebrated Sunday in Memphis by numerous fans. This year, an auction was part of the celebration.

The Auction was part of Elvis Presley Enterprise’s annual Elvis birthday weekend festivities. The event featured Presley-owned and connected items from various personal collections and estates. The event was attended by fans from around the world, as well as Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell.

Highlights of the auction included a Gold and Diamond Lion Head Ring Elvis owned and gave to Charlie Hodge, one of the Memphis Mafia. It was estimated to sell for $10,000 – $15,000 and went for $37,500.00. Elvis’ Colt “Police Positive Special” .32 Caliber Pistol which he gave to bodyguard Richard Grob sold for $10,625.00 on an estimate of $4,000 – $6,000.

Images of Elvis were also a hot item on sale, with a selection of Terry Wood photos chronicling Presley’s September 1956 concert in his hometown of Tupelo, Miss., earning $8,125.

Interest was also strong for a mix of items owned and used by Presley personally, including a diamond cluster cocktail ring ($13,750), a platinum album award for “Aloha from Hawaii” ($9,375), a blue suede jacket ($4,750), a 1970s Union 76 credit card ($3,375), and a card certifying him as a sixth-degree black belt in karate ($2,375).

Over 160 items were sold in the auction.

Bidding — which took place live and via telephone and Internet — went for two-plus hours, generating a total of $330,531 in sales.