Elvis Presley's legendary blue suede shoes auctioned for a staggering $150,000. See pic
As per the auction house, "Elvis wore these iconic blue suede shoes during the 1950s on and off stage. In 1958 he gave these shoes to his friend Alan Fortas.
A pair of iconic blue suede shoes worn by Elvis Presley was set up for auction by Henry Aldridge and Son auction house and managed to fetch a hefty amount. These shoes, which Presley "wore on and off stage in the 1950s," were sold for a staggering $152,000, as per reports.
As per the auction house, "During his performance on the Steve Allen show on July 1, 1956, Elvis mentions wearing the shoes before singing "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You." In 1958, the night before Elvis left for the Army, he gave these shoes to a close friend & entourage member, Alan Fortas. The heel of each shoe is stamped 'Nunn-Bush', and the inside of each shoe is stamped 10-1/2, stating the shoe size. There is a lot of history wrapped up in these well-worn blue suede shoes, which are synonymous with the name Elvis Presley." (Also Read: Elvis Presley's iconic 'lion claw' necklace hits the auction block, expected to fetch...)
They also added, "Elvis mentions wearing the blue suede shoes before singing 'I Want You, I Need You, I Love You' and also mentions the blue suede shoes during the comedy skit with Andy Griffith during the show. All Images and Footage of this show are available to view on YouTube. The shoes have an unbroken line of provenance since being gifted to Alan Fortes, Elvis's ranch manager, by Elvis himself the night before his induction into the US Army when he gave away a number of his unwanted clothes prior to joining up."
Take a look at these shoes here:
To ensure the validity of the shoes, this pair came with "an Elvis Presley Museum letter of authenticity to Daniel Johnson hand signed by Jimmy Velvet." It also contained a letter from Alan Fortas, Elvis' close friend and ranch foreman at Elvis' Circle G Ranch."
A part of the letter from Alan Fortas read, "I also appeared with Elvis in many films as an extra. I was also with Elvis in the concert in the round segment for the famous 1968 NBC "Comeback" special. The night before Elvis' army induction here in Memphis. Elvis had an all-night party at Graceland. Afterwards, we went to the Rainbow roller rink. When we all got home, Elvis called some of us upstairs and gave away some of his clothes he didn't think he would wear or wanted when he came back from the army. That night, Elvis gave me these blue suede shoes, size 10 1/2. I've owned these all these years