Go to main content

Love Me Tender, Buy My Tooth?

July 08, 2003 | Other
It may be too late for Elvis Presley devotees to get their hands on one of his sequinned 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 (60,640 pounds).

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. 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. 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.

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.
Source:Reuters