New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Few musical figures are as fondly-remembered or as iconic as Elvis Presley,
according to news broadcaster KTNV he was one of the most successful Las Vegas Acts in history. Millions of people still call themselves fans of The King of Rock & Roll and now, they could get their hands on a piece of history. A watch owned by Presley himself is being sold at auction in just a few months with fans able to bid on the diamond-encrusted timepiece. It's a unique item which could fetch as much as $75,000 and is the next in a long line of auctioned pieces which were once owned by Elvis Presley.
It can be difficult to feel connected with our favourite artists and performers, especially if they are no longer with us. Without a live show to go to, that link between supporter and star can often be channelled through things like personal items. Now, fans of one of the most iconic musical figures of all time have the chance to do just that. Phillips Watches have announced that a timepiece owned by Elvis Presley is being listed for auction.
Presley's
musical career started at a young age. After attracting attention for
some early recordings which took place in Memphis, Elvis was signed
by RCA Records for a then-unprecedented sum of $40,000. Few expected
this deal for a 20-year-old rock and roll star to prove successful
but they could not have been more wrong.
Elvis'
rise was accelerated by some early
television performances
which proved to be as controversial as they were successful.
According to PBS, the singer's eccentric and suggestive antics on
stage won him both critics and, more importantly, hordes of adoring
young fans. Presley quickly became a national phenomenon as his
career in music and movies flourished in spite of a brief stint in
the US Army.
During
the late-1960s, Elvis' career took a new turn as he headed for Las
Vegas. Research
found from Betway Casino
showed that Presley performed a run of 636 sold-out shows between
1969 and 1976, most of which took place at the International Hotel.
Elvis is a part of Vegas folklore with impersonators today still
donning the iconic hair and white jumpsuit to pay tribute to The
King.
Despite
his untimely death in 1977, Elvis still managed to sell a reported
500 million records. That puts him behind only The Beatles and makes
The King the most successful solo artist of all time. The sales
figures would have obviously delighted Elvis personally but perhaps
not as much as the record company which put so much faith in him. RCA
Records even put that gratitude in the form of a gift which is where
this watch comes in.
In
1961, Elvis had just surpassed 75 million sales and in celebration,
RCA Records organised an honorary charity event for their prized
client. Presley was presented with a plaque to commemorate his sales
tally and the watch in question. It is an 18-carat white gold
timepiece with 44 diamonds which was purchased from Tiffany & Co
by the company. That day, 25 February 1961, was declared 'Elvis
Presley Day' and the musician was made an Honorary Colonel by the
Governor of Tennessee, Buford Ellington.
According to the presenter of the item, Phillips Watches,
Elvis and the seller's uncle swapped timepieces after a mutual
admiration. The watch has now been put up for auction along with a
Certificate of Authenticity from the Elvis Presley Museum and is
expected to fetch upwards of $75,000 from the highest bidder.
This
Tiffany watch isn't the first high-profile item owned by Elvis to
be sold recently. Fans and collectors have been eager to part with
large sums of money to get their hands on any form of important
memorabilia owned by Presley himself. In late 2017, the papers for
the divorce settlement of Elvis and Priscilla Presley were sold at
auction for $20,000. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge told the BBC that the
papers were a "fabulous piece of show business history".
"Each
of the 12 pages contains fascinating details and offers the reader a
snapshot into the details involved between both parties that only
legal documents can give.
"This
document offers a collector the chance to own something from one of
the most important episodes in Elvis's life."
That
last sentence is certainly applicable to this watch. The gift
celebrated Presley becoming perhaps the first person in history to
sell 75 million records which is why there is such a demand for the
item. The watch itself is absolutely beautiful but anyone looking to
pay the estimated $75,000 figure will want to buy not just the watch
but the history behind it. The item will be featured at the Geneva
Watch Auction: SEVEN, which takes place 12-13 May 2018 at the Hotel
La Reserve.
