An incredible collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia worth up to £275,000 is going up for auction this weekend to coincide with the release of director Baz Luhrmann's new blockbuster film Elvis. The items include a gold watch Elvis wore on stage at the very start of his career as well as a pair of his leather boots, a diamond and gold ring, cufflinks and early recording contracts.
A lot of the items date to around 1956, a pivotal year in Elvis' career when he was catapulted into Hollywood stardom. The star item however is the 14 carat gold-filled Lord Elgin timepiece that was seen on Elvis' wrist during several stage and TV shows - including his very first national TV appearance, The Dorsey Brothers 'Stage Show', in January 1956. It is now being sold for £150,000.
A rare and historical contract the legendary singer signed in March 1956 to appear on the famous Milton Berle TV show in April 1956 is also in the auction for £32,000. The document shows Elvis was paid $3,500 (£2,800) for the guest appearance and had to pay his three musicians out of the fee. He wowed millions of TV viewers with his songs Shake Rattle and Roll, Heartbreak Hotel and Blue Suede Shoes.
