Auction all shook up as Elvis record sells for €64k
The record, That’s All Right (Mama), was sold by Whyte and Sons Auctioneers yesterday as part of a series of headline- grabbing lots that went under the hammer at the RDS.
In the days leading up to the rock’n’roll memorabilia auction, the availability of the iconic record — which set a young Presley off on his road to fame and riches — led to rumours Graceland and other Elvis memorial sites were planning to bid.
However, while the identity of the winning bidder has remained a closely kept secret, the price-tag attached to the sale has not — with those behind the auction confirming the €64,000 cost was the highest of the star-studded memorabilia event.
“I am delighted, the sale went extremely well,” said Ian Whyte, of Whyte and Sons Auctioneers.
“There was huge interest. It is the first ever pop and rock sale in Ireland and I hope it won’t be the last,” he said.
The That’s All Right recording, which came with an estimated pre- auction price-tag of €50,000-€70,000, is considered to be iconic among Presley fans as it launched the king of rock’n’roll into the music world on its release in 1954.
The 78rpm was recorded on Jul 5, 1954, by a then unknown Presley, who had walked into the offices of Sun Records in Tennessee, USA.
The song immediately created a wave of fans for the new artist, with the first radio station to play it reportedly having to repeat the track 14 times on its show due to caller demand.
Among the other main attractions sold at the music memorabilia auction was a full collection of autographs from the Beatles signed on the back of an Aer Lingus menu. It sold for €2,900.
A pair of platinum discs from Irish band U2 sold for €1,300, while a watch given by Presley to his manager as a thank you was also on the auction list.
