Elvis Presley's diamond and platinum wedding band from his marriage to Priscilla will be sold in the auction with other Hollywood memorabilia worth over $2 million on Dec. 14 and 15 in Beverly Hills, California.

 

"The marriage of Elvis and Priscilla Presley was the most significant wedding in the 20th century," said Joseph Maddalena, an owner of Profiles In History, the worldly renowned live internet auction company which will host the auction next month.

 

"There was Charles & Diana and, of course, Paul & Heather. But there was only one Elvis Presley," Maddalena said. "This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a true piece of pop culture history."

 

Elvis' famous wedding band is decorated with eight baguette-cut diamonds within a border of 16 fill-cut diamonds, which is expected to be sold around $100,000 to $150,000. "The King of Rock and Roll" unveiled the band at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967, when he wed Pricilla in a ceremony that celebrated one of the most memorable marriages of the 20th century.

 

Other auction items include James Dean's switchblade featured in the well-known knife fight in "Rebel Without a Cause," estimated price of $30,000 to $50,000, and Jerry Lewis's Dr. Julius Kelp costume from the 1963 classic comedy "The Nutty Professor," which has the estimated price of $25,000 to $30,000.Source: Elvis Information Network / Updated: Nov 14, 2006

I'm really surprised at the news, Martin as I would have thought that they would have kept the ring in the family :blink:

Apparently, this is the story behind the sale

 

http://www.elvisinfonet.com/weddingband.html

EPE Update December 13, 2006:

 

The "Elvis wedding ring" that is presently publicized for auction by the Profiles in History auciton house is said to have left Elvis's possession when he gave it to an entourage member, David Stanley and his wife – reportedly a sweet gesture of goodwill from Elvis late in his life, wishing the Stanleys the best in their marriage several years after his own marriage had ended. The auction has inspired news coverage and quite a bit of speculation on various Elvis fan sites and message boards.

 

Priscilla Presley and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. have no concrete documentation of their own to put them in a position to verify the story of the gift or the authenticity of the ring as having once belonged to Elvis, or to express any doubt about it. However, a couple of points beg clarification.

 

If the ring being auctioned did indeed belong to Elvis, then it would have to be Elvis's "second" wedding ring - the one Priscilla gave Elvis as a replacement when he lost his original one at their ranch in Mississippi not too long after their wedding. Elvis's original wedding ring had become loose on his finger and he was concerned that it might slip off while he was working on the ranch, so he tied it to a kerchief around his neck. The ring ultimately fell from the kerchief, which Elvis did not notice at the moment it happened. After much searching, the ring was not found. Priscilla soon gave Elvis another ring to replace his original. The second ring was of a completely different design, such as the one presently being auctioned.

 

Also, in some news stories the ring that is being auctioned has been misidentified as the one Elvis gave to Priscilla on their wedding day. This is not true and the auction company is not the source of that misinformation. Priscilla still has her wedding and engagement rings from Elvis and treasures them.

Source: Various / Updated: Dec 14, 2006

Bit of confusion over this sale :wacko: Saw on one site that it went for $90,000 and then someone corrected it and said that it went for $135,000 ;) Either way, that's a lot of money, but somehow I don't expect to find it in my Christmas stocking :(

Here's a pic of it :D

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/auction_weddingband.jpg

 

I'm sure that I could have got a nice silver chain from Argos so I could wear it round my neck :lol: