The King’s 24-karat piano goes up for auction

Beverly Hills, Calif.--Elvis Presley fans soon will have the opportunity to bid on the most important piano in the music icon’s history--his personal 24-karat gold leaf grand piano.

The piano will be a part of Julien’s “Icons and Idols: Rock ‘n’ Roll” sale, slated to take place Nov. 7 in Beverly Hills. The auction house estimates that the piano will sell for $500,000 to $700,000.

Presley played the gold leaf piano in the music room of his Graceland home in Memphis, Tenn.

The original finish on the piano was walnut, and it once was housed in the Dixon Myers Auditorium, which is now the Cook Convention Center, in Memphis. Presley bought it for his mother in 1955 when the city sold it and had it moved to his new home on Audobon Street when it wouldn’t fit into their apartment.

It was moved again to Graceland and kept in the music room, where an Organo system was installed so that Presley could have backup music while he played. 

The piano was put into storage after the death of Presley’s mother. Later, the King’s wife, Priscilla Presley, had it covered in 24-karat gold leaf finish as a gift for their first wedding anniversary and moved it back into the music room.

It’s currently on exhibition at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn., where it's been on display for years.

When it hits the auction block, it will be accompanied by a signed letter from C.B. Coltharp, who has played a part in the servicing, tuning and moving of the piano; a signed letter from Thomas Hames of Hames and Sons Piano Craftsman, who tuned and installed new hammers and dampers in the piano; and number bills of sale and images of the piano at Graceland.

It also will be sold with a matching piano bench.

Other highlights from the “Icons and Idols: Rock ‘n’ Roll” sale include the Beatles drop-T logo drum head that appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show when the band made their first live American television debut in 1964; John Lennon’s original 1962 J-160E Gibson acoustic guitar, lost for more than 50 years; and a pair of John Lennon’s trademark small round prescription glasses.