Elvis Presley estate questions authenticity of auction
Elvis Presley's estate have cast doubt on the authenticity of items being offered for sale at auction.
Graceland executives are suspicious of items being offered for sale by GWS Auctions - whose owner, Brigitte Kruse, is being sued for financial abuse by the late 'Blue Suede Shoes' hitmaker's ex-wife Priscilla Presley - which are listed as being owned and used by The King, and have raised questions about various lots.
Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, told NBC News he became suspicious when a black grommet jacket, supposedly worn by Elvis in 1972 went up for sale - yet he insisted the one-of-a-king custom made garment is hanging in Graceland's private collection, with the outlet reporting they were shown the piece and its receipt.
He said: "We know there was only one made, and guess what? We have it in our archives."
Other pieces of memorabilia being sold by GWS Auctions include multiple pieces of jewellery and even a red 1962 Locheet Jetstar, yet the estate stressed he never actually flew on the plane and only owned it for a few months.
Many items being sold were accompanied by letters written by Priscilla to declare their authenticity, but some accompanied items that would have been bought by Elvis after they divorced in 1972, such as a pair of gold snowman cufflinks, which the auction house explained the 'Jailhouse Rock' singer had bought to celebrate his 1973 TV special 'Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii'.
Joel said: "If they hadn't talked for months and months and months in person, how does she know what Elvis did and didn’t do?"
The executive explained Elvis' dad, Vernon Presley, had kept meticulous records of his son's finances over the years so the estate is very knowledgeable on what he had owned.
He said: "Because [Vernon] had some trouble with the law early on in his adult life, he kept everything, every receipt.
"You come to us and say, 'What did [Elvis] do on this day in 1962?' We pretty much know what he did just by how he spent money."
While Brigitte acknowledged Graceland's extensive records, she insisted it is ridiculous to think everything Elvis ever owned would have been documented.
She told the outlet: “We weren’t there. None of us were there. So how can they without a doubt, unequivocally say, ‘We have everything?’ It’s an impossibility.”
Of Priscilla vouching for the items, she added: “If her personal recollections aren’t worth anything, then whose are?”
Priscilla filed a lawsuit earlier this month claiming she had had $1 million stolen from her, naming Brigitte as taking advantage of her along with Kevin Fialko, Vahe Sislyan, Lynn Walker Wright and Priscilla Presley Partners.
The 'Naked Gun' actress claimed Brigitte controlled her finances and forced her into a form of “indentured servitude” by “gaining her trust”, and the group isolated her from "the most important people in her life”, and duped her into “believing that they would take care of her” personally and financially.
It added: “They convinced (Priscilla) that all of her former advisors were either deceitful or incompetent, and that she was leaving millions of dollars on the table as the result of their mismanagement.”
The documents also claim by “isolating her and immersing themselves in every aspect of her life”, the defendants were able to “fraudulently induce” Priscilla into giving them power of attorney, control over her family and personal trusts, and “control over her bank accounts”.
Brigitte sued Priscilla for an alleged breach of contract in 2023 after they formed Priscilla Presley Partners.