Graceland questions authenticity of Elvis memorabilia sold by auction house with ties to Priscilla Presley
Category: News & Politics
Via: perrie-halpern • 3 months ago • 0 commentsBy: Chloe Melas and Rich Schapiro
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
When Graceland boss Joel Weinshanker discovered that an auction house was planning to sell one of Elvis' old jackets, he was immediately suspicious.
The black grommet jacket was a one-of-a-kind item worn by Elvis in 1972, Weinshanker, managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, said. But the thing was, that very jacket was hanging up in Graceland's private collection.
"We know there was only one made, and guess what? We have it in our archives," Weinshanker said in an interview at Elvis' former home in Memphis, where NBC News was shown the black jacket and the receipt for its purchase.
GWS Auctions, the California company behind the 2023 auction of the jacket, has made a name for itself by selling Elvis memorabilia. Its owner, Brigitte Kruse, formed a relationship with Elvis' ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, and has even acted as her power of attorney.
But the jacket was not an anomaly, according to Weinshanker, who oversees the largest collection of Elvis memorabilia. Graceland is raising concerns about other items GWS Auctions has put up for auction — including a private jet and several pieces of jewelry.
Some of the items were offered with a letter from Priscilla vouching for their authenticity, even though Elvis would have possessed them when they were no longer together.
Kruse's relationship with Priscilla, 79, has since imploded.
Kruse filed a lawsuit last fall accusing Priscilla of cutting her out of lucrative deals after she came to Priscilla's financial rescue. On Thursday, Priscilla filed a countersuit, accusing Kruse and three associates of conning her out of $1 million in a financial elder abuse scheme.
In a lengthy interview that took place before Priscilla filed her lawsuit, Kruse declined to go into detail on their falling out. But she defended her auction sales, saying she "100%" stood by her Elvis items, and she questioned why Weinshanker would go to the media rather than raise issues with her directly.
"Graceland has my phone number," Kruse said at her home in Windermere, Florida. "I'm a phone call away."
Priscilla's lawyers did not respond to a request for an interview or an email with detailed questions. Weinshanker said he did speak to Kruse about his concerns and he shared a text message exchange with NBC News that appeared to support the claim.
The questions over some of Kruse's Elvis items reflect the murky world of celebrity memorabilia. Fakes and forgeries flood the market, experts say, making it difficult for even the most experienced buyers to know what is genuine and what isn't.
In the Elvis world, there are a handful of elite collectors who are sought out by potential buyers looking for assurances that a particular item is authentic. The problem, these collectors say, is that there are dishonest people with Elvis ties providing bogus items to auction houses.
Adding to the sometimes shady nature of the industry, some auction houses have a reputation for driving up bids on their own items and announcing phony sales to attract attention.
"It's a dirty business," said Stephen Shutts, an Elvis historian and collector. "Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad guys out there."
The 'lost jet'
A fifth-generation auctioneer, Kruse launched GWS Auctions in 2007. Ten years later, the business received a flood of publicity when she auctioned off Elvis' "lost jet."
The red 1962 Lockheed Jetstar was described as "personally owned" by The King and "custom designed" to his specifications.
"I was kind of deemed the Elvis auctioneer because I sold his private jet," Kruse said in a 2020 interview, "and it's kind of just been an upward trajectory since then."
The sale was not without controversy, however.
In the days beforehand, news stories popped up quoting a previous owner of the aircraft, Roy McKay of New Mexico, who said he was the one who redesigned its interior.
GWS Auctions stood by its account, and the sale went forward. The jet sold for $430,000.
Seven years later, McKay still finds the whole thing amusing. He had no idea the aircraft had a potential Elvis connection when he bought it in 1980. He said he redesigned the all-gray interior with a red and gold color scheme that was "more my style."
"I did the seats, the couches, the carpet — basically everything," he told NBC News.
He said he had no idea where the story of Elvis being behind the redesign came from.
"The guys that were talking about that then, they can't really say Elvis did all of that — because I did," McKay said.
Enter Priscilla
Kruse and Priscilla met in 2021. In her suit, Priscilla said they were introduced by a mutual connection who said Kruse wanted to discuss her business selling Elvis memorabilia.
In the summer of 2022, Priscilla Presley did media interviews promoting a GWS auction featuring jewelry from the collection of Elvis' longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
Some of the items up for sale were said to be gifted by The King himself, including diamond-encrusted rings, watches and cufflinks. In the days before the auction, Priscilla did media interviews explaining why she was endorsing it.
"I want fans and people who love Elvis to know it is authentic," Presley told Reuters. "There's so much product out there that is not authentic at all and that worries me."
At Graceland, Weinshanker and other staffers grew concerned about Priscilla's involvement and the fact that the auction house was offering items with letters signed by her.
Graceland staff raised concerns about the authenticity of several of the items in part because they had no receipts showing the initial purchases. Thanks to Elvis' aversion to cash and his father Vernon's meticulous record-keeping, the operators of Graceland say they have an extraordinary window into his purchases and day-to-day activities.
"Because he had some trouble with the law early on in his adult life, he kept everything, every receipt," Weinshanker said of Vernon Presley. "You come to us and say what did [Elvis] do on this day in 1962? We pretty much know what he did just by how he spent money."
Weinshanker and other Elvis experts were especially concerned with Priscilla providing letters for items purchased outside of the years she and Elvis were together, as she might not know whether or not the items were genuine.
The pair got married in 1967 and divorced in 1972.
A gold pendant would have come into the legendary rocker's possession and been gifted to Parker, the manager, before Priscilla entered Elvis' life, according to Graceland, and a pair of gold "Aloha From Hawaii" snowman cufflinks would have been purchased for Parker at a time when he and Priscilla were separated. Graceland said it has no receipts for the items.
"If they hadn't talked for months and months and months in person, how does she know what Elvis did and didn't do?" Weinshanker said.
Kruse acknowledged that Graceland has access to extensive records but said it's ridiculous to think that everything that came into Elvis' possession would have been documented.
"We weren't there. None of us were there," Kruse said. "So how can they without a doubt, unequivocally say, 'We have everything?' It's an impossibility."
And on the subject of Priscilla vouching for items like the gold pendant and snowman cufflinks, Kruse said: "If her personal recollections aren't worth anything, then whose are?"
In early 2023, Elvis' "lost jet" came up for auction again through another company, Mecum Auctions. The plane was no longer described as having been redesigned by Elvis. But the listing did say it was one of three planes owned by Elvis and the aircraft were "needed to transport the singer" to events around the country.
"Elvis kept several pilots on retainer that were ready to fly him to adoring fans at a moment's notice," read the listing.
But Elvis never flew on the plane, according to Graceland citing flight logs, and it's even a stretch to say that he owned it.
The plane was purchased via power of attorney by Vernon Presley on Dec. 22, 1976. According to documents provided by Graceland and reviewed by NBC News, Elvis gave up all rights to an airline leasing company upon purchase and it was sold just a few months later.
If Graceland believed the plane was a significant part of Elvis' past, "we would own it," Weinshanker said.
Mecum Auctions did not respond to a request for comment.
Priscilla attended the Mecum auction in Kissimmee, Florida, and gave a brief speech just before bidding got underway. "He loved planes and this was one of them," she said.
The winning bidder was YouTube star James Webb, who bought the plane for $260,000. In an interview with NBC News, Webb said that despite Priscilla's presence at the auction and the way it was advertised online, he did not feel like he was duped.
Weinshanker said he doesn't think Priscilla intentionally tried to deceive potential buyers.
"I believe that she lacked the capacity to make those decisions," he said.
The legal battle
According to Kruse's lawsuit, Priscilla was in dire financial straits by August 2022. To help her get out of debt, they created several companies to "exploit new income streams" and "monetize various aspects of Priscilla's life," the suit says.
Kruse was also named a co-trustee of Priscilla's trust and was granted powers of attorney. But after setting up a company to capitalize on Priscilla's name and likeness, Kruse found out that Priscilla had already sold the rights to another firm, according to the breach of contract lawsuit.
The suit, which seeks at least $50,000 in damages, portrayed Priscilla as a fading celebrity facing financial ruin due in part to her diminishing fame.
"Priscilla has largely relied on her celebrity to meet her ongoing financial obligations, and to maintain her desired cost of living because historically she has lived outside of her means," the suit said. "By the 2020's, Priscilla's celebrity was a mere shadow of what it once was, and her earning potential was only a fraction of what it previously was."
Priscilla's lawyers have asked a judge to dismiss the suit, citing lack of jurisdiction. A decision is pending.
In the suit she filed this week, Priscilla alleges that Kruse and her associates duped her into believing they would help solve her financial problems "while their real goal was to drain her of every last penny she had." They directed all of the revenue from Priscilla's business ventures into accounts they controlled and also withdrew $40,000 from a bank account belonging to Priscilla's son for "no legitimate reason," the suit says.
"The fact that the plaintiff in this case is internationally recognized actress, author, and cultural icon, Priscilla Presley, demonstrates both how effective the Defendants' plan was (and needed to be), and how anyone can be a victim of elder abuse and fraud," the suit says. Kruse's legal team couldn't comment because they had yet to receive the suit, her publicist said.
In the interview with NBC News, Kruse downplayed her falling out with Priscilla.
"I always wish the best for Priscilla and her entire family," Kruse said. "It's a business dispute. They happen."
"What I would love to see, more than anything, is everybody kind of working together," she added. "I don't want to do anything to hurt the fans or Elvis' legacy."
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