- Man Sells Elvis Water On eBay: 3 Tbsps. Of Water Supposedly Came From Cup Used By Elvis
(Channel 4, December 26, 2004)
A North Carolina man says he's sold three tablespoons of water on eBay for $455. They supposedly came from a cup used by Elvis Presley. Wade Jones said he was 13 when he saw the King perform at the old Charlotte Coliseum in 1977. He says Elvis took a sip from a cup of water as he introduced his band. ...
- N.C. man offers water from the cup of The King on eBay
By RICHARD GRAY
(News Coast / Associated Press, December 25, 2004)
Wade Jones likes Elvis, but he insists he's just a casual fan. That's why, after watching a grilled cheese sandwich thought to be embedded with the image of the Virgin Mary fetch $28,000 on eBay, he decided to part with three tablespoons of water from a cup Elvis Presley used during a concert.
"It's one thing to be an Elvis fan, but then you tell them you have this cup and water and they think you're a fanatic," he said. "I'm not like the people bidding on this water."
The high bid on the online auction service as of early Saturday night was $455. The auction closes at 4:30 p.m. Christmas Day.
Jones was 13 when he went to see the aging Elvis in February 1977 at the old Charlotte Coliseum, which is now Cricket Arena. He saw the pop icon drink from the cup while he introduced the band. Jones went up to the stage after the show to see if he could get a souvenir, perhaps a scarf Elvis would throw to his audience. But police guarding the stage wouldn't give him one. Thinking fast, he asked for the cup, and a police officer gave it to him.
As proof of its authenticity, Jones provides photos of Elvis during the concert in which several plastic foam cups can be seen on a stand behind him. Another photo shows Elvis holding a plastic foam cup.
The cup, covered in plastic wrap, stayed in Jones' parent's deep freezer for eight years, until he moved out. He then decided to melt the ice and keep the water in a sealed glass vial, while putting the cup in a trunk with other memorabilia from his childhood.
Jones isn't giving up the cup just yet.
"I'm kind of attached to the cup," he said. "I thought it was a little quirkier to sell the water."
Jones specializes in quirky eBay sales. He once sold a high school annual from the 1940s that he bought for about $1 at a thrift store for about $47 to a man whose father appeared in the book. He sold a 50-cent manual on making surf boards for about $50, he said. And for those with suspicious minds, Jones says it's not just about making money. "It's nice to get the money, but it's also nice to see things that don't mean anything to you get into the right hands," he said.
- LOAF ME TENDER: Sliced bread tribute to Elvis
By Ruki Sayid
(The Mirror, December 15, 2004)
ELVIS Presley fans are about to get all shook up over news that The King has risen. For bakers Kingsmill is creating bread shaped in the singer's image to celebrate his 70th birthday. Thousands of limited edition white loaves with each slice a side profile of his famous quiff, aquiline nose and jaw will be on shelves by January 8. Even the packaging carries the cheeky slogan "By appointment to the King". And though Elvis has been "brown bread" for 27 years, Kingsmill believes this is a chance for fans to literally toast the King of rock 'n' roll. Jo Sykes of Allied Bakeries said: "What better tribute to the great man than to bake him his own limited edition loaf." The bakery has so far managed to steer clear of litigious Elvis Presley Enterprises by using lookalikes for its £7million TV ads which show spoof footage of Elvis as a baker.
Based around his only visit to the UK - an hour stopover in 1960 at Prestwick Airport, in Ayrshire - the spoof documentary adverts reveal his first love was Kingsmill bread.
HALF-BAKED HITS
Can't Help Falling in Loaf
Halfbake Hotel
Crying in the Ciabatta
In the Ba-ghetto
(You're The) Bagel in Disguise
Bloomer Suede Shoes
His Latest Flan
Are You Lonesome Doughnut?
You've Lost That Oven Feelin'
(You Ain't Muffin But A) Hound Dough
A Little Less Scone-versation
- Bazaar goes bizarre
By Karen Schubert
(USATODAY.com, July 28, 2003)
Just as Alexander Graham Bell never imagined his telephone would become an instant-message-sending, customized-ringtone-tinkling fashion accessory, the creators of eBay never suspected their site would become a barometer of popular culture. Among the 16 million items finding their way to that online auction block each day, a few are destined to fall into the zone between ineffable and unbelievable. The most recent what-were-they-thinking eBay moment was brought to you - indirectly at least - by rock-and-roll royalty. Elvis fans had the chance to buy a piece of his smile in July when an eBay seller placed the King's tooth up for auction along with a snippet of Presleyan hair and a certified gold record.
Clever sellers of less impressive items capitalized on the tooth's new notoriety, name-checking the King and his crown in order to drive searchers to their own wares. There's nothing new in that; various buzzwords have been employed to lure shoppers over the years. For example, the word "haunted" has been used to up the perceived value of everything from "magic wands" (if photos can be trusted in matters supernatural, a wooden stick with a knob on the end) to vaguely creepy thrift store paintings. In that case the seller took pains to suggest that buyers avoid showing the image to children or sensitive souls - a huckstering technique that was old when P.T. Barnum used it to move people under his circus Big Top.
In the case of the King, an auction for recipes advertised itself with the phrase "330+ jar recipes - Elvis favorite (sweet tooth)." Another eBay jokester created ever-so-realistic tooth-shaped glass beads sporting Elvis's Vegas-era hairstyle and sunglasses; those are now selling on the site for $15. And the talented tooth itself? At $100,000, the dental offering had no takers. The King's fans aren't the only celebrity collectors to scour eBay for curious collectibles. Pop music enthusiasts had a change to buy "priceless" memorabilia when a New York City radio station put Justin Timberlake's half-eaten plate of French toast (plate included) on auction. And when paying for celebrity junk just can't fill the void inside a buyer, eBay shoppers can surf the site for spare organs. In September 1999, a seller offered up his fully functional kidney in exchange for a $2.5 million donation to the charity of his choice. (There were no takers; eBay blocked the auction since trafficking human organs is a federal felony).
Dan Lewis, creator of WhatTheHeck.com, has dedicated his site to unusual eBay auctions. "The [Elvis tooth auction] is probably a legitimate auction looking for real money," he said. "But most of them are just for fame - they want to be the next Internet meme." (A meme is a concept, catchphrase or byword that spreads from person to person - in other words, such eBayers are hoping to invent the next mood ring or "Whassssssup"). ...
Picture caption: This Elvis look-a-like is a bead that is selling on eBay to mock the recent - and legitimate - auction of the King's actual tooth.
- Bidders don't bite at Elvis tooth auction
(Go Memphis, July 21, 2003)
A tooth, said to have been pulled from Elvis Presley after an injury, failed to attract the minimum $100,000 selling price on ebay by the time a 10-day auction ended, officials said on Saturday. ... [As below}
- Bidders don't bite at Elvis tooth auction
(Economic Times / Reuters, July 21, 2003)
A tooth, said to have been pulled from Elvis Presley after an injury, failed to attract the minimum $100,000 selling price on ebay by the time a 10-day auction ended, officials said on Saturday. ... [As below}
- Bidders fail to bite at Elvis tooth auction
(Sydney Morning Herald / Reuters, July 21, 2003)
A tooth said to have been pulled from Elvis Presley after an injury failed to attract the minimum $US100,000 ($[A]153,500) selling price on the eBay website by the time a 10-day auction ended, officials said. Frenzied, but ultimately fraudulent, bidding briefly pushed the price above $US2 million before eBay required potential buyers to register if they wanted to place bids, said Anthony DeFontes, who represents the owner, hairdresser Flo Briggs of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The dental artefact, which was packaged with shorn strands of the crooner's hair, created an internet frenzy - 161,000 people viewed the webpage within 48 hours, Mr DeFontes said. But no legitimate bids remained when the auction ended shortly before midnight on Friday. Mr DeFontes said Ms Briggs would most likely break the tooth and hair into separate lots and place both back on eBay early this week. "We really had no idea of what these things were worth," Mr DeFontes said. "This was a first outing." The stalled auction ended a poor week for sales of memorabilia from American heroes.
- No bidders all shook up over Elvis Presley tooth
By HOLLY HICKMAN
(Sun Herald / Associated Press, July 19, 2003)
Bidding for the tooth - Return to sender: one Elvis Presley tooth. After 10 days on the eBay auction block, no one posted the minimum $100,000 bid for a purported Elvis tooth, lock of hair and gold record. So the South Florida owners say they plan to sell the collection in smaller, more affordable pieces, with the items likely to go to auction on eBay sometime this weekend. That came as a relief to die-hard fan Joni Mabe. She already owns an Elvis wart. And "maybe an Elvis toenail." ...
- 'Elvis tooth' pulled from auction failure
(Ananova, July 19, 2003)
A tooth, said to belong to Elvis, has failed to be sold on eBay. After 10 days no one posted the minimum £660,000 bid for it even though it came with a lock of hair and gold record. The South Florida owners now say they plan to sell the collection in pieces, with the items likely to be offered again on internet auction site. Bidding for the tooth - purportedly pulled by a dentist - started July 5 and ended Friday about an hour before midnight. Bids shot up to £1.3 million but eBay reset the auction, believing the bids were fraudulent, said Anthony DeFontes, curator and spokesman for the collection. It came as a relief to die-hard fan Joni Mabe 'the Elvis Babe' who already owns an Elvis wart, and "maybe an Elvis toenail". ...
- No Bidders Biting On Elvis Tooth Auction: Owner Asking $100K For Tooth, Hair, Gold Record
(channel4000.com / Associated Press, July 19, 2003)
The clock is ticking if you wish to own an unusual piece of Elvis Presley memorabilia: one of The King's teeth. The eBay auction that's originating in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is due to expire Friday night. Along with the tooth, the winning bidder will get a lock of Presley's hair and one of his gold records. The minimum bid for the items was set at $100,000. There have been no bids so far. The tooth was purportedly pulled from Presley's mouth at a dentist's office. The lock of hair was saved from his haircut upon joining the military. Collection curator Anthony DeFontes says the gold record is for Elvis' hit single "Love Me Tender." It's not known whether the items will be up for bids again if they fail to sell. At least one eBay user is trying to capitalize on the unique Elvis items. The user, who asked not to be identified on the site, is selling "exclusive" news articles about the Elvis tooth auction. Bids for those items start at $99.99. That auction runs through Sunday.
- Purported Elvis tooth fails to attract bidders
(Irish Examiner Entertainment, July 19, 2003)
After 10 days on the eBay auction block, no one posted the minimum $100,000 bid for a purported Elvis tooth, lock of hair and gold record. So the South Florida owners say they plan to sell the collection in pieces, with the items likely to be offered again on Internet auction site eBay sometime this weekend. That came as a relief to die-hard fan Joni Mabe. She already owns an Elvis wart, and "maybe an Elvis toenail". "I'd love to have the tooth," said the Georgia artist, who calls herself Joni Mabe the Elvis Babe. "Then the wart would have a friend and we could put the King back together in pieces," she said. Mabe, who also calls herself the "Queen of the King," recounted how she came across the toenail: "In '83 I toured Graceland and I was just feeling the carpet and walls to get the vibe of where he had walked. "I got down on my hands and knees in the jungle room and found the toenail clipping," said the sculptor, whose pieces often feature Elvis memorabilia. Bidding for the tooth - purportedly pulled by a dentist - started July 5 and ended Friday night about an hour before midnight. ... Neither Bobby Davis, a spokesman for Graceland, nor publicists for Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley commented on the auction.
- No Bites Yet For Elvis Tooth
(CNN, July 18, 2003)
Elvis Presley fans have a chance to own a piece of The King himself - not just memorabilia, but his hair and a tooth. The items were being offered on the Internet auction site eBay. The minimum bid was set at $100,000, and there was an unknown reserve (minimum acceptable price) on the lot. Only bidders approved by the seller were allowed to participate in the auction. With half a day left, there were no takers.
According to the lot description, it included "a part of a tooth and a crown" from Presley's mouth, a lock of hair from Presley's famous haircut upon entering the Army in 1954, and a gold record presented for selling one million copies of "Love Me Tender." "There are always a wide and wacky bunch of items listed any time Elvis Presley items are placed on eBay," eBay spokesman Kevin Purseglove [said]. "Right now, there are probably 15- or 16-, maybe 20,000 different items associated with Elvis Presley listed on our site." These items, purported to be Elvis' own, have been on display in a Fort Lauderdale hair salon for about ten years. "It never ceases to amaze me what people have gathered in their collections over the years and what they sell on eBay," said Purseglove.
- Elvis parts up for grabs
(Toronto Star / Associated Press, July 10, 2003)
One of Elvis Presley's teeth is on the auction block, along with a lock of his hair and one of his gold records. The tooth, purportedly pulled from his mouth at a dentist's office, has been on display at a Fort Lauderdale hair salon for about 10 years, along with the other items. Now they're on the eBay Internet auction site
- Check this out if you want to clone Elvis
By MIRA OBERMAN
(iol.co.za, July 10, 2003)
Online auction house eBay is selling the king of rock 'n roll's crown - complete with attached right molar. Part of a tooth and a crown from Elvis Presley's mouth is the centrepiece item in a memorabilia auction that includes a lock of the King's hair. eBay is asking for a starting bid of $100 000 (R760 000) for Elvis's dental work, and there has already been interest from one company looking at the possibility of using the tooth to clone Elvis.
- Love Me Tender, buy my tooth?
(Houston Chronicle / Reuters, July 8, 2003)
It may be too late for Elvis Presley devotees to get their hands on one of his sequined jumpsuits, but die-hard fans can still claim a small piece of the King -- a tooth. A pearly white billed as an authentic dental relic from the rock 'n' roll legend, along with a lock of his hair and a gold-plated copy of the hit single Love Me Tender, are up for sale on the auction site eBay with a minimum bid of $100,000.
The bits of Elvis had been on display in a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, hair salon called the Yellow Strawberry since 1992, a spokesman for the collection said. Anthony DeFontes said the owner of the Elvis memorabilia was motivated to sell in part because of the cost of insurance and security. The tooth had been in the possession of Linda Thompson, a former girlfriend of Presley, DeFontes said. It then found its way to the Elvis Presley Museum before it was auctioned off once before, he said.
The lock of hair, shorn from Presley's head during his induction into the U.S. Army, was given to talk show host Joe Franklin as a present from the singer, DeFontes said. Ebay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said that the site generally bans the sale of human body parts, but he had no immediate comment on the Elvis tooth and hair offering.
Todd Morgan, a spokesman for Elvis Presley Enterprises, the company that manages Presley's estate, said it was possible that the tooth and hair were genuine. But he said the company does not certify as authentic purported Elvis memorabilia and he ruled out a return of the tooth to Graceland, saying the estate would not make a bid. For his part, DeFontes said the owner of the tooth had already rebuffed an advance from an unnamed European firm that had been interested in extracting DNA from the tooth for the purposes of cloning. "To him, there will only be one Elvis," DeFontes said.
- Elvis' Tooth For Sale On EBay
(local6.com / Associated Press, July 8, 2003)
It's a lucky day for anyone who's ever wanted to own a piece of Elvis Presley. A tooth from the mouth of The King himself is being auctioned on eBay. The tooth was in the possession of Presley's former fiancee, Linda Thompson, until it went to the Elvis Presley Museum. The museum later sold the tooth. The auction also includes a lock of Presley's hair that was saved from his haircut upon joining the military and a gold record for "Love Me Tender." The collection's curator said he's been contacted by a European company that wants to extract DNA from the tooth, but the owner of the collection refused that arrangement. The opening bid is $100,000, and as of Tuesday morning there were 10 bids. The auction ends July 15.
- Elvis tooth goes on sale
(BBC, July 8, 2003)
It is the tooth that bit into 1,000 burgers - a molar said to belong to rock'n'roll legend Elvis Presley is to go up for sale on Tuesday. The tooth will be sold on the internet as part of a collection including a lock of the singer's hair and a gold-plated copy of the hit single Love Me Tender. The group of items will start with a minimum bid of $100,000 (£60,000). Anthony DeFontes, a spokesman for the collection, said the tooth was originally in the possession of Elvis's former girlfriend, Linda Thompson.
- Own a hunk of Elvis
(The Age / Reuters, July 8, 2003)
Elvis Presley fans are being offered a chance to own a piece of the King - a tooth. A pearly white billed as an authentic dental relic from the rock 'n' roll legend, along with a lock of his hair and a gold-plated copy of the hit single, Love Me Tender, are up for sale on the auction site eBay with a minimum bid of $US100,000 ($A148,000). The bits of Elvis had been on display in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hair salon called the Yellow Strawberry since 1992, a spokesman for the collection said.
- Elvis tooth goes on sale
(aliensoup.com, July 8, 2003)
It is the tooth that bit into 1,000 burgers - a molar said to belong to rock'n'roll legend Elvis Presley is to go up for sale on Tuesday. The tooth will be sold on the internet as part of a collection including a lock of the singer's hair and a gold-plated copy of the hit single Love Me Tender. The group of items will start with a minimum bid of $100,000 (£60,000). Anthony DeFontes, a spokesman for the collection, said the tooth was originally in the possession of Elvis's former girlfriend, Linda Thompson. It was then given to the Elvis Presley museum before it was auctioned off to a private collector. ...
- Elvis' comedy hair on the block
(Five News, February 27, 2003)
Elvis fans can have a brush with their idol by bidding for some of his hair ... [as below].
- Elvis' hair - for a snip
By Cassandra Braun
(Contra Costa Times, February 27, 2003)
Elvis fans can have a brush with their idol and get their hands on a Good Lock Charm - by bidding for his hair. The rock`n`roll legend - who died a quarter of a century ago - is the mane attraction in a Comic Relief auction of celebrity hair. Also for sale in the online auction are hair snippings from Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe and the famously spiky hair of Gareth Gates. Wool from the late Dolly the Sheep and locks donated by Graham Norton, Carol Smillie and Caprice will be sold in the auction, organised by hair firm Wella.
- Lock of Elvis' hair sells for $115,120
(Holland Sentinel, November 18, 2002)
A hunka hunka Elvis hair has a new home. A wad of Presley's jet black locks, about the size of a baseball, sold at auction Saturday for $115,120. The bidder was anonymous. MastroNet Inc., a suburban Oak Brook Internet auction house, listed the hair in a sale that began last month and ended about 3:30 a.m. Saturday. Bidding started at $10,000. Thirty-two bids were placed, said Julie Stoklosa, spokeswoman for MastroNet. ...
- Odds and Ends
(2nd item)
(sfgate.com / Associated Press, October 23, 2002)
If you've always longed to run your fingers through Elvis Presley's hair, this could be your chance. A baseball-sized chunk of it is going on sale. Brian Marren of the Internet auction house MastroNet Inc. said the hair was collected by Presley's former hairstylist, Homer "Mr. Gill" Gilleland. The auction for the hair starts Monday. Bidding will start at $10,000, Marren said, "and it wouldn't surprise me if it went well into the six figures." "The way these hair guys do it, they sell it a strand at a time," he said. "So who knows how they'll break it out and start selling it." Marren said Gilleland, now deceased, gave the Elvis hair, which he kept in a plastic bag, to friend Tom Morgan, who is selling it through MastroNet. Marren said his company has traced the history of the hair and is satisfied it came from Presley's head. ...
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