In 1987, a Memphis law firm was throwing out unwanted documents, when one employee noticed that one of the files was marked Elvis Presley. Out of curiosity, he pulled it out from amongst the contents of a bin and filed it away at home.
Only recently did he decide to have someone take a look at the documents inside to see if any of them were valuable.
The man he went to, Gary Sohmers, is an expert who frequently appears on the Antiques Roadshow. When he took a look at the documents, he couldn't believe what he was seeing: They included the purchase and sale agreement (and settlement sheet) for Graceland, Elvis's Memphis home, which he had bought in 1957.
The document was signed by Elvis and his parents, Vernon and Gladys Presley, as is the purchase agreement for 1034 Audubon Road, which was the first property they purchased in Memphis.
Both items are on sale at Philip Weiss Auctions on the weekend of April 23-25, New York. However, they are not the only rare and valuable items of Elvis memorabilia currently on the market.
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Available for sale right now are two excellent pictures of The King at his peak, one smiling, one brooding, each with clear signatures in blue ink. There is also a Las Vegas menu signed by Elvis (along with Vernon and Dee Presley, Colonel Tom Parker and Charlie Hodge).
But collectors who wish to get memorabilia even closer to Elvis don't need to spend a penny to be in with a chance.
A single strand of The King's hair is one of the prizes available in our $10,000 competition - open to everyone who signs up to our newsletter before the draw, which takes place next month.
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