Well, it certainly attracted a lot of attention... US auctioneer Leslie Hindman's planned sale of the autopsy and embalming tools used on Elvis Presley quickly became global news, last week.
However, the tools have now reportedly been removed from auction following a dispute over their authenticity and ownership.
To be sold as two separate lots, the autopsy and embalming kits included Elvis's toe tag, various tools, the preparation room case report and case sheet, dry cleaning tags, Elvis's suit and tie, and a coffin shipping invoice.
In total, both kits - also including rubber gloves, forceps, lip brushes, a comb and eye liner, needle injectors, an arterial tube and aneurysm hooks - were estimated at around $14,000.
 The embalming instruments used on Elvis were to be priced at $6,000-8,000 |
As we reported last week (July 21), the tools were on the market for the first time after reportedly being saved for years by an anonymous, retired senior embalmer at the Memphis Funeral Home.
But the Memphis Funeral Home and its parent company, Service Corporation International, has since claimed ownership of the macabre memorabilia. The anonymous seller and his son have decided to turn the kits over to the company, according to a statement by Leslie Hindman.
The items were due to auction on August 12. Collectors were invited to take part online, with bids opening at $2,000 for the post-mortem kit and at $3,000 for the embalming kit.
Leslie Hindman's sale would have been the latest in a long line of posthumous auction appearances by Elvis over the past 12 months. Last year, for instance, a lock of the King's hair sold for $18,300.
 These items from the King's post mortem have also been withdrawn |
Decades after dying from drug-related causes in 1977, Elvis Presley remains one of the top earning dead celebrities.
According to research by Forbes, The King's estate netted $55 million in 2009. In comparison, Michael Jackson's estate has appreciated to more than $1bn since his death last year.
Meanwhile, if you're on the lookout for more conventional items of Elvis memorabilia, there are currently a number of rare and sought-after signatures by the King on the market - you can find more information here.
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