Elvis Presley’s actual blue suede shoes sell for $150,000 in auction
By Catherine Nicholls, CNN
London (CNN) — When Elvis Presley’s debut album took the charts by storm in 1956, “Blue Suede Shoes” was its opening track.
Now, the King’s very own blue suede shoes have sold for the princely sum of £120,000 (around $152,000) after they went up for grabs at British auction house Henry Aldridge and Son on Friday.
Bidding for the shoes, which were described as “an iconic lot of showbusiness memorabilia that simply transcends 20th century popular culture,” began at £55,000 (around $69,600).
The shoes were bought by a client from California, Henry Aldridge and Son told CNN.
The shoes, which are size 10 and a half and stamped with the “Nann-Bush” brand, were worn by Presley both on and off stage during the 1950s, according to a description on the auction site.
Presley wore the shoes while singing “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” and “Hound Dog” on “The Steve Allen Show” in 1956, according to the auctioneer, and gave them to his friend Alan Fortas in 1958, the night before leaving for the US Army.
The shoes have been authenticated by Jimmy Velvet, a close friend of Presley and the founder of the Elvis Presley Museum.
The lot was accompanied by a letter of authenticity hand-signed by Velvet, as well as a letter by Fortas, which describes the events of the evening he was given the shoes.
“The night before Elvis’ army induction here in Memphis, Elvis had an all night party at Graceland,” the letter says, according to the auction site.
“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 1/2. I’ve owned these all these years,” the letter continued.
According to Henry Aldridge and Son, another iconic piece of music history was sold on the same day as Presley’s shoes.
An outfit worn by rock legend Freddie Mercury in the music video for Queen’s “I’m Going Slightly Mad” made £197,000 (nearly $250,000), the auctioneer told CNN.
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