Elvis Presley guitar fetches USD 334,000 at New York auction
New York: A guitar given to Elvis Presley by his father in 1969 went under the hammer for USD 334,000 in New York during an auction that also saw a Michael Jackson vest fetch USD 256,000.
Vernon Presley is said to have changed the finish of the Gibson Dove acoustic guitar to ebony after his son earned his black belt in karate.
It beat auction house Julien's estimate of USD 200,000 to USD 300,000 for yesterday's sale.
During a 1975 concert in Asheville, North Carolina, Presley had given the guitar to fan Mike Harris, who had kept it until now.
Another highlight of the auction was a red neoprene vinyl jacket created by Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush for Michael Jackson to wear during the 1996-1997 History world tour.
It scored more than four times the auctioneers' estimate of USD 40,000 to USD 60,000.
The highest bid reached USD 354,400, for John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to Beatles song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"
Julien's had expected it would fetch between USD 300,000 and USD 500,000.
Overall, the sale produced lukewarm results.
Lady Gaga's first piano, estimated to be worth USD 100,000 to USD 200,000, did not find a buyer. Neither did Stevie Ray Vaughan's Fender Broadcaster electric guitar, valued at USD 400,000 to USD 600,000.
Elvis's first piano sold for USD 140,025, less than the USD 200,000-300,000 estimate.