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Top 10 Most Expensive Elvis Presley clothes ever sold

site admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 06:17:02 +0000

The Wikicollecting Top 10 Most Expensive Elvis Presley clothes ever sold

Elvis Presley never needed an introduction – to millions around the world he was simply ‘The King’. Almost 35 years after his death he remains one of the world’s most popular and successful artists, with sales of more than 1 billion records to date.
A Harris poll conducted in 2002 suggested that ten percent of all Americans have visited Graceland, and nine percent Elvis memorabilia. He may be gone, but his legacy remains – and it seems we still all want a piece of The King to call our own.

On September 9, 1956 Elvis made his first groundbreaking appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. It was watched across American by an audience of more than 60 million people, and was pivotal in his meteoric rise to the top.

To celebrate this anniversary, the users of Wikicollecting.org, the open-source collectibles encyclopaedia, have compiled their list of the most expensive items ever sold from the King’s wardrobe.

10. 1970′s purple robe – $5,445

A 1970′s Elvis-worn purple terrycloth robe, monogrammed with “EP”, sold for $5,445 at a Gotta Have Rock and Roll auction in July 2011.

9. US army shirt – $5,069

A US army shirt worn by Elvis while on military service in Germany during the 1950′s achieved $5,069 at July 2011′s Gotta Have Rock and Roll auction. It bears a stamp of his name on the inside, as well as a Spearhead squadron badge.

8. 1950′s Lanksy Bros shirt, waistcoat and trousers – $13,798

A 1950′s Lanksy Bros shirt, waistcoat and trousers combination made $13,798 at a Gotta Have Rock and Roll auction in July 2011. It is accompanied with publicity photographs showing Elvis in the get-up.

7. Lanksy Bros suit and shirt – $25,725

A Lanksy Bros suit and shirt, which Elvis was pictured wearing on the back of the 1956 Elvis Presley album, produced by RCA, realised $25,725 at a Gotta Have Rock and Roll auction in July 2011. The items all included the “Lansky Brothers Memphis TN” label.

6. Promotional RCA photo red shirt – $28,000

A red shirt sported by Elvis in a giant pin up picture released by RCA in 1963, achieved $28,000 at a Leslie Hindman Auctioneers sale in October 2009.

5. Mohair suit with Verde boots and scarf – $36,722

A stage worn International Costume Company mohair suit, with a scarf and Verde boots, was sold for $36,722 at a Gotta Have Rock and Roll auction in July 2011.

The garments were worn by Elvis during his long run at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, between 1969 and 1976.
The comparatively sober items suggest that they come from the earlier portion of his return to the stage, as his outfits became increasingly flamboyant in later years.

4. 1974 buff-colour North Beach leather suit – $47,000

A 1974 buff-colour North Beach leather stage-worn suit, worn by Elvis during 1974, made $47,000 at a Regency Superior sale in January 2006. The bell bottomed trousers feature an American football style fly, while the jacket includes sweat stains.

3. Sweat stained 1975 dark blue suit – $105,000

A dark blue International Costume suit, worn by Elvis at a number of concerts in 1975, sold for $105,000 at a Regency Superior sale in January 2006.

It comes complete with sweat stains courtesy of the King.

2. 1974 North Beach Leather suit – $120,000

A two piece bespoke custom leather suit, worn by Elvis at gigs at the Las Vegas Hilton during the summer of 1974, achieved $120,000 at Heritage Auctions in October 2008.

The cream suit, one of four very similar outfits produced by North Beach Leather for Elvis, features bloodstains from where he received B-12 vitamin shots before going on stage.

1. Elvis’s nail mirror jumpsuit – $175,000

A 1974 nail mirror jumpsuit worn by Elvis at a number of shows during 1973 and 1974 made $175,000 at a Regency-Superior auction in January 2006.

Elvis wore the suit at his largest ever concert, to 44,000 fans at the Houston Astrodome on March 3, 1974.
If Elvis’s two Aloha jumpsuits from his Hawaii concerts were ever sold by the Graceland museum, they could well exceed this figure.

Wikicollecting.org is an online, open-source encyclopaedia written by collectors, for collectors. It features information, how-to guides and listings for every type of collectible, from art and antiques to trading cards and memorabilia. Anyone can create a page, and it’s completely free to use.

For more information on how you can get involved with the Wikicollecting project, visit http://en.wikicollecting.org/ or contact them at info@wikicollecting.org.

Top 10 Most Expensive Star Trek Original Series Memorabilia

site admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:10:56 +0000

The Wikicollecting Top 10 Most Expensive Star Trek Original Series Memorabilia

September 8, 1966 saw the debut of one of television’s best-loved and influential shows. Viewers came face-to-face with the Final Frontier as the first regular episode of Star Trek was broadcast, spawning a franchise of films and spin-off shows that remains to this day.

Star Trek is also the very definition of cult television, and memorabilia relating to the original series is by far the most sought after by fans around the world.

To celebrate the 45th anniversary of its debut, users of Wikicollecting.org have compiled a list of the most expensive Star Trek TOS (The Original Series) memorabilia ever sold at auction.

10] An original Star Trek soundstage scale model – $40,000

To familiarise incoming directors with the layout of the original series soundstage at Desilu Studios, the Production Designer Matt Jefferies created a ¼” scale model of the stage layout in 1966.

This intact model appeared at auction 35 years later, and was sold by Profiles in History for a price of $40,000.

9] Original model Enterprise – $42,500

In December 2001, the only remaining prop model of the USS Enterprise to remain in private hands was sold at auction. Featuring electrically-lit nacelles, the model was used extensively for special effects shots during the original series.

It was sold during an auction in 2001 by profiles in History for a price of $42,500.

8] Original Tri-corder prop – $45,000

The most expensive hand-held prop on the list is an original 1966 Tricorder used in the first season.

It was sold during a Profiles in History sale in December 2001 for the price of $45,000, smashing its pre-sale estimate of $12,000 – $15,000

7] T’Pau’s costume from the episode Amok Time – $54,000

Season 2 Episode 1 of the original series, ‘Amok Time’, was the only episode to take place on Spock’s home planet of Vulcan. It featured Spock’s doomed return home to take part in an arranged marriage, and ended with Kirk fighting a Vulcan warrior to the death.

The episode also featured the female Vulcan character T’Pau, famously the only Vulcan to turn down a seat on the Federation Council. The costume worn by T’Pau, played by actress Celia Lovsky, was sold during the Christie’s ’40 years of Star Trek’ sale in New York in 2006 for a price of $54,000.

6] Original annotated ‘The Making of Star Trek’ typescript – $55,200

The Making of Star Trek by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry remains one of the most important reference books for Star Trek fans. Written in 1968, it details the creation and production of the original series in superb detail.

During a Christie’s sale of film and television memorabilia in New York in 1994, an original typescript copy of the book was offered for sale. It featured extensive hand-written revisions, alternate versions of chapters, a wealth of research material including interviews, letters and photographs, and even the original publishing contract for the book.

This unique treasure was sold for a then-record price of $55,200.

5] Joan Pearce’s Original Series scripts and archive collection – $55,000

The most comprehensive Star Trek archive to appear at auction is the collection of script researcher Joan Pearce, who worked on the entire franchise from the first episode of the original series to the final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise.

The TOS archive consisted of 240 vintage scripts covering every one of the 79 episodes produced, along with numerous alternative versions. It also featured completely comprehensive research notes, shooting schedules, feasibility reports for each story, and information relating to every aspect, storyline and detail of the original series.

The impressive archive was sold at a Profiles in History sale in July 2006 for a price of $55,000.

4] Enterprise Command Module – $80,000

The central command module from the USS Enterprise, from which Captain Kirk helmed the ship (slouched in the famous chair) appeared at auction in April 2003.

The original set piece, which appeared extensively in every episode of the original series, was sold by Profiles in History for a price of $80,000.

3] Spock’s tunic – $115,000

The most expensive TOS crew uniform belongs, unsurprisingly, to Mr Spock. His powder blue Starfleet First Officer’s tunic from TOS Season 3 was sold during a Profiles in History auction in April 2003 for a record price of $115,000 (excluding buyer’s premium).

However, it isn’t the most expensive TOS costume to be sold at auction…

2] Dr. Mccoy’s space suit from the episode “The Tholian Web” – $120,000

The most expensive costume ever sold from the original series in fact belonged to Dr McCoy. It’s a spacesuit worn by Bones during the Season 3 episode ‘The Tholian Web’, whilst the crew are exploring their apparently-deserted sister ship USS Defiant.

The silver lame suit included a fabric helmet with screen mesh visor, which may not have been particularly protective in space but was attractive enough for the lot to smash its estimate. Originally valued at $6,000 – $8,000, the suit sold for an incredible $144,000 at the Christie’s ’40 Years of Star Trek’ sale in New York in 2006.

1] Kirk’s Enterprise Command Chair – $265,000

In 1969 the original series set was scrapped by Paramount, but several parts were rescued by one lucky fan. Most notably, he managed to get his hands on Kirk’s iconic Captain’s chair, the centrepiece of the Enterprise set for the entire series.

More than 30 years later this chair became the most expensive piece of Star Trek TOS memorabilia ever sold. It appeared as part of the Profiles in History sale of the Bob Justman Collection in Los Angeles in 2002, and sold for the record price of $265,000 (excluding buyers premium).

For more information on how you can get involved with the Wikicollecting project, visit http://en.wikicollecting.org/ or contact them at info@wikicollecting.org.

Looking to buy Star Trek the original series items? Check out the following live eBay auctions:

CCG SET: Star Trek TOS & Rule Book

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