History has been made with the most expensive Elvis Presley memorabilia having sold: a 1942 Martin D-18 guitar.
The King purchased the acoustic guitar, Serial Number 80221, in 1954 at O.K. Houck’s Piano Store on Union Ave in Memphis, trading in his Martin 000-18. It was played on at the historic Sun Studio, Memphis sessions, which sparked the ‘big bang’ of rock and roll. It has now sold at auction for $1.32 million (£1 mill) at Gotta Have Rock and Roll to a mystery fan, though the price fell short of its $2-3 million estimate.
Elvis decorated the guitar with adhesive metal letters that spelt out his name, but only ‘ELVI’ remains today. In 1956, Elvis sold the guitar. During the two-year period that he owned it, the star recorded numerous songs, such as That’s All Right (Mama), Blue Moon of Kentucky, Mystery Train and Good Rockin’ Tonight, and also played with it on stage during live performances.
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Before the auction, the King’s guitar was owned by Seattle-based DMX Music’s Michael Malone, a prominent collector of rock instruments and racing cards. Malone purchased the guitar in 1993 at a Christie’s, London auction for $151,700
