Next time that ‘let’s think outside of the box’ lunatic at your distillery comes to you and says, “Hey, I have an idea, let’s dress Elvis in his Karate suit as he gets ready to test for his 7th degree black belt and we’ll make it into a whiskey decanter” you may want to listen. A vintage Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey decanter from McCormick Distilling is going on the auction block. The asking price? How’s a cool $30k sound?
UPDATE: The auction brought in $730,000. The final sales prices of our highlighted items are now included below. $25k for a bottle of McCormick Whiskey?
If you’re an Elvis fan we have good news. You can now own a piece this the Rock n’ Roll icons whiskey history by purchasing a McCormick Distilling Kentucky Straight Bourbon decanter at the upcoming Auction at Graceland. But it doesn’t stop there; the whiskey decanter and companion karate suit is just one of nearly 200 lots in this Elvis auction.
Stay Informed: Sign up here for the Distillery Trail free email newsletter and be the first to get all the latest news, trends, job listings and events in your inbox.
Here are our top five picks for your enjoyment.
1. Lot 165: Elvis Presley’s Custom Karate Gi Used to Design the McCormick “Elvis Karate” Bourbon Decanter and Accompanied by Original Decanter in Box. Estimate $20,000-30,000. Presley’s custom-made karate gi used by the rock legend on his way toward attaining his seventh degree black belt, will also hit the auction block accompanied by the McCormick Distilling Co.’s bourbon decanter modeled after Presley, in karate pose, wearing the outfit. The gi also features an embroidered TCB patch and a red and black belt with the word “Tiger,” Presley’s karate name, stitched on it.
Estimate: $20,000 – $30,000
Results
No. Bids: 13
Final Price: $25,000 (You could buy a lot of whiskey for that kind of jack!)
2. Lot 60: 1961 Blue Hawaii Promotional Collection including Tiki Mug, Hang Tag “Ornament” and “Not For Sale” Demonstration Copy of the Soundtrack. The soundtrack for Blue Hawaii spent 20 weeks at number 1 on the Billboard pop album charts and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Soundtrack from a Motion Picture in 1961. Offered is a promotional collection from the film that includes the smiling tiki mug created by the Colonel to be used at the 1961 Theatre Owners Association (T.O.A.) convention in New Orleans; a round, double-sided promotional hang tag in the shape of an ornament, and a rare “Not For Sale” copy of the soundtrack.
Estimate: $1,000 – $1,500
Results
No. Bids: 17
Final Price: $1,875
3. Lot 159: Elvis Presley Owned 1971 Colt Lawman MKIII .357 Magnum Revolver – With Unimpeachable Provenance. On October 9, 1971, Elvis Presley visited the Frontier Gun Shop in Palm Springs, California, and purchased five firearms, including the offered Colt Lawman MKIII .357 Magnum revolver. But what separates this gun is the other document, namely a copy of the actual Federal Firearms Acquisition and Disposition Record from the Frontier Gun Shop. Since 1968, federal law mandates that each Federal Firearm licensee, such as the Frontier Gun Shop, enter in its logbook each firearm that is acquired, where it came from and to whom it was sold. So there on pages 17A and 17B we find, halfway down, the entry for the firearm offered here, right down to the serial number J42429 and the purchaser, one Elvis Presley of 144 Monovale Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA.
Estimate: $25,000 – 35,000
Results
No. Bids: 5
Final Price: $20,000
4. Lot 29: January 8, 1935 Elvis Presley Birth Record Document from Delivering Physician Dr. Robert Hunt – Also Details the Birth of His Twin Brother Jesse. This historical document is the formal birth record of Elvis Aaron Presley, recorded just minutes after his birth by Dr. Robert Hunt at 4:35 a.m. on the day he delivered Elvis, and his stillborn twin Jesse 35 minutes earlier, to Gladys and Vernon Presley. The book’s significance as an artifact of the life of Elvis Presley cannot be overstated—if the Presley family had an original birth certificate, it’s been lost to time, leaving this humble medical practitioner’s log as the single remaining original record of Elvis Presley coming into this world.
Estimate: $80,000 – 100,000
Results
No. Bids: 11
Final Price: $87,500
5. Lot 176: 1973-74 Elvis Presley Signed American Express Card – The Finest Elvis Credit Card in Existence. Offered is the one-of-a-kind, personally owned and signed, American Express card that belonged to none other than the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll himself! Elvis rarely paid in cash, so this amazing piece of plastic was surely something he never left home without.
Estimate: $40,000 – 60,000
Results
No. Bids: 7
Final Price: $37,500
The Auction at Graceland
Graceland® Auctions has announced its fifth auction of rare and authentic Elvis Presley™ artifacts, which will be held during Elvis Week 2016. True Elvis fans can rest easy, all of the items in the auction will be offered from third-party collectors and none of the items will come from the treasured Graceland Archives. The Auction at Graceland will take place in the Graceland Archives Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday, August 13, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. CDT. Online bidding is now available at Graceland Auctions.
Long live the King!
P.S. If you are really an Elvis fan and you want the decanter without the companion karate suit it looks like you can pick up a non-authenticated bottle on Ebay now for about $75.
Please help to support Distillery Trail. Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter.
