A pair of Elvis Presley’s blue suede shoes are expected to sell for around £100,000 (NZD$207,000).
The King wore the US size 10.5 footwear both on and off stage in the 1950s, but gave them away to his friend, Alan Fortas, the night before his induction into the US army in 1958 and now they are to be auctioned off by Henry Aldridge + Son in Wiltshire.
The shoes, which Elvis acquired after recording his 1956 song Blue Suede Shoes, are expected to fetch £100,000 to £120,000 (NZD$207,000 – $249,000) and have been authenticated by Jimmy Velvet, who was a close friend of the late singer and has been described as “the world’s leading Elvis authority”.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described the shoes as “iconic as they can be”.
He added to Sky News: “They are just an exceptional piece of show business, music and popular culture memorabilia.”
Alan explained how he came to acquire the shoes in a letter which will accompany the lot.
He wrote: “The night before Elvis’ army induction in Memphis, Elvis had an all-night party at Graceland. Afterwards we went to the Rainbow roller rink.
“When we all got home Elvis called some of us upstairs and was giving away some of his clothes he didn’t think he would be wearing or wanted when he came back from the army.
“That night, Elvis gave me these blue suede shoes size 10.5. I’ve owned these all these years.”
A few weeks ago, Presley’s personal Bible sold for $120,000 (NZD$197,000) at another auction.
The singer and actor kept the Christian text in his nightstand, where it was found by his cousin, Patsy Presley, when she and the singer’s dad were packing up his belongings after he passed away in 1977, and it went under the hammer in the US with GWS Auctions.
The religious text has the singer’s full name, Elvis Aaron Presley, embossed in gold, and the auction house noted it “contains a large amount of book-marked pages and underlined passages that seemingly spoke to” The King.
Among the underlined passages is one from the book of Job, 31:24-26 which reads: “If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand has gotten much; If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness.”
The book was accompanied by a handwritten letter from Patsy, which stated in part: “Shortly after Elvis’ passing my uncle Vernon [Elvis’ dad] and I went up into Elvis’ bedroom at Graceland to organise and pack many of his personal belongings. This Holy Bible was one of three that Elvis had on his night table. After packing them, Uncle Vernon had me take them home for safe keeping and eventually gave them to me.”
Presley was known for his faith and would often turn to the Bible to calm his nerves before saying a prayer before a show.
