BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Presley's drug bottle snapped upPresley's drug bottle snapped upA prescription drug bottle belonging to Elvis Presley was just one of the unusual lots sold at a US auction.
The bottle had contained antihistamine medicationA gold-plated gun which was owned by Presley sold for $28,800, (£14,571) at the auction held by Julien's.
An umbrella used as a prop by Marilyn Monroe in a 1949 photo fetched $42,000 (£21,249), while Alfred Hitchcock's passport sold for $19,200 (£9,714)
Presley's pill bottle, which had to be sold empty to comply with the law, went for $2,640 (£1,335).
The bottle had contained antihistamine drug Naldecon, which was prescribed by George Nichopoulos, Presley's personal doctor during the 1970s.
"We'd planned to sell the bottle with the pills, but the Los Angeles Police Department told us it would be a federal crime to do it, so sad to say we had to remove the pills," said the auction house's chief executive, Darren Julien.
Monroe's polka dot umbrella is now set to go on display at the Museum of Style Icons in County Kildare, Ireland, says its new owner William Doyle.
June 30, 2009
Presley's drug bottle snapped up - BBC NEWS | Entertainment |
Elvis Presley's Pill Bottle Sells for $2,640 at Celeb Auction - FOXNews.com - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment
Elvis Presley's Pill Bottle Sells for $2,640 at Celeb Auction
BEVERLY HILLS — A gold-plated gun and a pill bottle owned by Elvis Presley, an umbrella twirled by Marilyn Monroe and Alfred Hitchcock's passport were among items that attracted bidders at an auction Saturday.
The umbrella used by Monroe in a famous 1949 seaside photo shoot by Andre de Dienes sold for $42,000 at the annual Julien's Summer Auction,
CEO Darren Julien said in a statement. The buyer, William Doyle, said
he planned to display the umbrella at the Museum of Style Icons in
County Kildare, Ireland.
Hitchcock's passport sold for $19,200 during the eight-hour auction at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Presley's
gun commanded $28,800, while a microphone used by the rock icon on the
Louisiana Hayride in the 1950s sold for $15,000.
A prescription pill bottle belonging to Presley sold for $2,640.
"We'd
planned to sell the bottle with the pills, but the Los Angeles Police
Department told us it would be a federal crime to do it, so sad to say
we had to remove the pills," Julien said before the auction.
The
undated bottle was for the antihistamine and decongestant drug
Naldecon, prescribed by George Nichopoulos, who was Presley's personal
physician from 1970 until his death.
DR. 'NICK' NICHOPOULOS: ELVIS DOUCHE + BAG FETCH $18,176.00 + MICHAEL JACKSON MEMORABILIA ON FIRE! (video 2:20)
DON'T MISS THIS ONE OF A KIND AUCTION JUNE 26TH AND JUNE 27TH AT PLANET HOLLYWOOD RESORT AND CASINO, LAS VEGAS THIS THE PREMIERE CELEBRITY MEMORABILIA EVENT. HITTING THE AUCTION BLOCK... ITEMS FROM MARILYN MONROE, ELVIS PRESLEY-- THE KING OF ROCK AND ROLL, FRANK SINATRA, ANN MILLER, OZZY OSBOURNE, CHER, KATHARINE HEPBURN, STAR TREK, BRUCE WILLIS, LIBERACE, BARBARA STREISAND, WALT DISNEY, MICHAEL JACKSON, KISS, ANDY WARHOL, THE JACKSON FIVE AND MORE. DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO OWN A PIECE OF HOLLYWOOD HISTORY. FREE EXHIBITION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ON THE MEZZANINE LEVEL OF PLANET HOLLYWOOD IN LAS VEGAS FROM BEGINNING JUNE 13TH AND THRU THE AUCTION ON JUNE 27TH.
Julien's Summer SaleAUCTION RESULTSFriday June 26 and Saturday, June 27, 2009 Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas LOT # LOT HEADING FINAL
274 ELVIS PRESCRIPTION BOTTLE $6,400.00 275 ELVIS - LARYNGEAL SCOPE $1,792.00 276 ELVIS - NASAL DOUCHE $2,176.00 277 ELVIS - DR. GEORGE NICHOPOULOS DOCTOR BAG $16,000.00
334 MICHAEL JACKSON ORIGINAL DRAWING $20,480.00 335 MICHAEL JACKSON ORIGINAL PAINTING $25,000.00
Elvis's consumer electronics fetch big bucks in Vegas
Photo courtesy of Julien's Auctions
Just this past weekend a couple of old, dare I say vintage, consumer electronics items went on the auction block in Las Vegas at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The two items were a small black and white television and a clock radio.
The small Sony TV measured 10 by 8 by 8 3/4 inches. It’s a black and white picture, missing some knobs and it isn’t even clear if it still works (you’d need a converter box now too because this is most definitely an analog set). The description wasn’t clear about what the screen size was or what year it was manufactured. This TV sold at auction for $1,024.00 (including a buyer’s premium of 20 to 28%). TVs of this vintage commonly sell for less than $100 to collectors from sources such as eBay. How could this television sell for so much money? It belonged to Elvis. Apparently, this was one of Elvis’s favorite gadgets. It is reported that Elvis watched this TV constantly. Although it isn’t widely known, Elvis was a huge gadget lover and was constantly buying and using gadgets of all kinds in his spare time. Elvis gave this TV to his personal physician Dr. George Nichopoulos (otherwise known as “Dr. Nick”) when he realized that Dr. Nick needed a portable set to watch football games.
Photo courtesy of Julien's Auctions
How can a clearly obsolete television fetch over a thousand dollars at auction like this one did? When you consider that $1,000 today buys you a 46” flat screen Sony TV it is even more amazing. The answer is provenance. The fact that Elvis owned and used this TV (this has been documented as being true) before giving it to his friend Dr. Nick gives it value that far exceeds what an ordinary example of this model would fetch.
The second item that was sold at auction was a Panasonic Touch & Call clock radio. This radio had a very unique feature for its time, it could speak the time when tapped. Reportedly, this is exactly the type of gadget Elvis went crazy for. Elvis used this clock radio on his bedside for a while before he gave it as a gift to Dr. Nick. It sold at the auction for $1,000 including the 20 to 28% buyer’s premium. That’s a lot of money for an analog clock! Again, it’s all about the provenance. The fact that Elvis owned and used this clock radio makes all the difference.
So there you have it, two items that sold for many times their material due to their famous previous owner. Would you have spent that much money on a consumer electronics relic of the past or would you go for the LCD flat screen TV?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)