Elvis Presley Collection, ca. 1972
GUEST:
I've been collecting it since 1969. I didn't know who he was. We used to go to Las Vegas just to see shows and that type of thing. And my dad said, "We're going to go see this guy named Elvis Presley." And he walked out on the stage and I was finished. As soon as I saw him, I just fell in love. I came home and I bought the Suspicious Minds record and I listened to it 42 times so I could memorize all the words.
APPRAISER:
So how many times did you get to see Elvis?
GUEST:
I saw him in person 76 concerts.
APPRAISER:
76 Elvis shows?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
So, did you ever get to meet Elvis?
GUEST:
I did get to meet him. September 2, 1972, we sort of were in the right place at the right time and got to go upstairs to his room. There was a party and I was 16, so my mom was with me. He had given me this scarf at the show and I took it up there and I asked him if he would autograph it for me.
APPRAISER:
And, so, original, it says "To Sherry," so we know it was to you.
GUEST:
Yes, you're right.
APPRAISER:
Where did you get this banner?
GUEST:
They had the banners hanging at the summer festival, and at the end either I'd go take them down or they would give them to me. And these were hanging all around. They had everything all decorated with Elvis things and I just took everything home and kept it.
APPRAISER:
And these are ephemeral things, things that were meant to be thrown away.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Not many people kept those. Why don't you tell me what this little pile right here is.
GUEST:
Well, we had been at Elvis's closing show. He was coming to the next show and the next show was Glen Campbell and we sat behind him and he left before the end of the show, and I went down and took everything off the table. And this was his gum and the cigarettes.
APPRAISER:
It looks like there's ashes in there.
GUEST:
There is. It's been sealed since 1973, I think it was. This, I made this myself. I bought the photo at an exorbitant price because of the belt. But the closing show, he had given out all his scarves. I was sitting right in the front center, and I started yelling, "Please give me your belt!" And I put my hand up, he laid the belt in my hand. I could hear screaming behind me. And when we walked out from the show, someone offered me $1,500 in $100 bills right there to give it to them.
APPRAISER:
Many of these items, these ephemeral things that were given away, thrown away, sell in the hundreds of dollars each.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
Many people will bring something like this to me and say, "I have a real Elvis Presley scarf and his signature," which is a printed signature, where this is really signed in person.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
That scarf's probably $500 to $1,000. Insurance value $1,000 on that scarf. Where this one still has an insurance value of $100 to $200.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
The buttons, they're $20 to $30 each.
GUEST:
Wow, you're kidding?
APPRAISER:
My favorite piece of all is this little thing right over here. Why don't you tell me what that is.
GUEST:
Well, after I had gotten a number of scarves, I started looking for other things on the stage that might be more souvenirs. And at the beginning of the show, he would always strum the guitar with the guitar pick. And when I got familiar with that, I started yelling, "Can I have the guitar pick?" And he flicked it and I caught it.
APPRAISER:
That's a real Elvis Presley guitar pick.
GUEST:
Yes, yes.
APPRAISER:
And that's extremely rare. That guitar pick's worth a couple hundred bucks, just by itself.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
The belt-- I think that's probably what you're here for. The most important thing about this belt is you got a picture of him wearing it.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
You actually got it in person. You didn't buy it at an auction house. You know it's real. And so that's a very desirable piece. And I would say that that belt would sell for between $8,000 and $10,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
Realistically, the whole collection you brought that I got to see is between $10,000 and $15,000.
GUEST:
This is just the tip of the iceberg. I have tons more at home.
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