RZM Fine Arts and Antiques Inc: Ask the Appraiser

Dear Jon,

My soon-to-be 90-year-old mother recently re-told her story of how she and her girlfriend decided to borrow the family Studebaker and drive from Queens, NY across the country to California.  They were 21-year-old women, driving across the country.  It was 1956!

When they arrived in Los Angeles they heard that Elvis Presley was arriving at the airport. My mother admits she wasn’t a big Elvis fan at the time, but they were there, he was landing, so they thought – “What the heck. Let’s see if we can meet him.”

It was August 16th, 1956, when Elvis landed to shoot his first Hollywood film, “Love Me Tender.”  When he got off the plane, he was surrounded by a large crowd asking for his autograph.  Some even took photos and shot the arrival on film. My mother then told me something she never revealed to us before – she had Elvis’s autograph!  When they arrived at the airport, they were unprepared to meet him, so my mother got a business card from someone, handed it to Elvis, and got his autograph!

I admit, I was All Shook Up when she told me and I did have Suspicious Minds at first. My mother met Elvis?? No way. But her story checks out, and she still has the autograph in her possession. Well, she did have it. I Got Lucky and she gave it to me. I enclosed a photo of it. You can find photos and film from this historic day on Instagram and other places on the internet.

Given that he signed a lot of autographs in his day and that this one is on the back of a business card, is it worth anything and if so, how much is it worth?

Thank you and Don’t Be Cruel with your appraisal.  I’d like to keep it in my possession and not Return to Sender. 

Doug 

What a wonderful story, complete with great provenance. A most desirable rock and roll collectible autograph. No collection would be complete without having the King of Rock & Roll’s autograph. Hence, the continued demand for his autograph. Keep in mind however, as the years pass, the younger generation has no idea who the great entertainers from the 1950s and 60s even are. But everybody knows and remembers Elvis. Elvis Aaron Presley, (1935-1977), was an American singer and actor who rose to fame in the 1950s. Easily one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His rather sexually provocative performance style brought both great success and controversy. The audience response at his concerts was nothing short of fevered! They’d always react the same way too. As a matter of fact, at two concerts he performed in September 1955, one year prior to your mother obtaining his autograph, fifty National Guardsmen were added to the police detail in order to prevent a riot at the Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. It amazes me that at such a high point in his career your mom, along with a group of other people, were able to casually approach him and get his autograph, at an airport in California no less! Wow, how times have changed. Just imagine the security detail he would have with him today. It would be impossible to get near him, much less obtain his autograph. Let’s talk about value. The value of an autograph depends primarily on the person, but also on what item the autograph was signed upon. In addition, the condition and the availability play a large factor in value as well. This collecting field exemplifies the term “Supply and Demand.” Elvis Presley’s autograph has a strong and continually appreciating value, yet it is not rare. Here, the supply is not the driver. It is the intense demand. On the other hand, take for example James Dean’s autograph. His autograph value is driven not only by strong demand, but the extremely small supply available resulting from this actor’s premature death. The next factor relating to the value of an autograph is the format. Typically, an autograph such as yours, being on a small piece of paper, from an autograph album, a business card or a “cut” from a larger document, is not nearly as valuable as an autograph that appears on an important document, such as a record contract Elvis had with Sunshine Records. The condition of the autograph is a significant factor too. Your boldly signed autograph would grade in the range of an 8 to 9, with 10 being the highest grade possible. This is very good. Finally, how do we know the autograph is authentic? If you saw Elvis sign this card, you know that its real. Since you did not see him sign it, you must rely on the story your mom is telling you, which I’m sure is true and correct. However, if this autograph ever was to be sold in the future, more specifically through auction, it would require the judgment of a qualified third-party authenticator, in order for it to realize it’s full monetary potential. Okay Doug, now for the current value of mom’s autograph. Based on similar Elvis Presley autographs that have recently sold at auction, I’m delighted to inform you the value is $800 USD. What makes this autograph more valuable is the provenance associated with it. If possible, have your mother write down the circumstances surrounding her obtaining this autograph. Then have her sign it and get it notarized. Next, have the autograph slabbed and authenticated with the signature graded by a third-party grading service. Finally, preserve the 1956 “Notice of Illegal Parking” summons. It helps substantiate the story surrounding the autograph. Now I have a question for you Doug. The fact that mom still has this parking ticket indicates the fine was never paid. The ticket is returned with the required payment for the violation. Is there somewhere, in the State of California, that there might be an active bench warrant for mom? I don’t want to learn detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were knocking on mom’s door after this story gets published. Maybe for the past 69 years they’ve been tracking your mother down for failure to pay this parking summons! I’m just kidding of course. Thank you for the great story and very special item. Don’t forget to thank your mom for not losing this item.