Elvis Presley Memorabilia Sold by Auction House Associated with Ex-Wife Priscilla May Be Inauthentic
Graceland has accused GWS Auctions, whose owner was recently sued by Priscilla Presley, of selling goods with dubious connections to Elvis
The proprietor of an auction house that sells memorabilia belonging to Priscilla Presley’s ex-husband has come under scrutiny for the authenticity of his artifacts, only days after she claimed that he was abusing her finances.
Priscilla filed a lawsuit on Thursday, July 18, naming Brigitte Kruse as one of the four individuals. According to a recent story from NBC News published on Friday, July 19, Graceland executives have questioned Brigitte Kruse’s auction firm, GWS Auctions.
Elvis Presley Enterprises managing partner Joel Weinshanker told the source that he was immediately wary of the items offered by the auction house after seeing a black grommet jacket that was purportedly worn by Elvis Presley in 1972 go up for auction.
Weinshanker stated that the jacket, which was created as a unique piece for the deceased singer, is currently housed in Graceland’s personal collection.
“Since there was only one produced, can you believe this? We have it in our archives,” Weinshanker said to NBC News, which later revealed that they saw the jacket and its receipt when they went to Elvis Presley’s Memphis house.
Graceland is curious about a number of things, including the jacket. A red 1962 Lockheed Jetstar, owned by Elvis Presley, and other items of memorabilia are also offered for auction through GWS Auctions, according to NBC News.
Elvis never took to the air on the plane, according to his estate, and he was only the owner of it for a few months.
As per Priscilla’s earlier this week complaint, Kruse and Elvis’ ex-wife grew close over the years, and the owner of the auction house started helping Priscilla with her finances and serving as her power of attorney.
The two met through mutual connections to discuss Kruse’s business, which sold Elvis memorabilia, according to the file that PEOPLE had previously obtained.
The complaint claims that Kruse “quickly immersed herself” in Priscilla’s life, and the two began working together towards the end of 2021.
Numerous objects sold by GWS Auctions came with letters from Priscilla attesting to their authenticity, according to an NBC News story.
But some of these letters included objects that Elvis would have acquired after Priscilla and the band split up, such a set of gold “Aloha from Hawaii” snowman cufflinks, which alarmed Graceland executives.
Elvis bought the cufflinks in Hawaii, according to GWS Auctions, to commemorate the success of his 1973 TV special, Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii.
Priscilla and Elvis got married in 1967 and separated in 1972.
“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 spoke of Priscilla when speaking to NBC News.
At the time, she remarked, “I thought, ‘Why not be a part of it?'” “I used to have a different opinion about these estate sales, but then as I got older I realized that you have to pass these things down to someone who’ll really appreciate them.”
About Priscilla, Kruse said at the time, “She’s just such a wealth of knowledge and experience.” Without studying and knowing about Priscilla as well, you cannot study and learn about Elvis. Their names are interchangeable.
According to Weinshanker, Graceland has a very accurate picture of everything Elvis Presley possessed since his father, Vernon Presley, kept meticulous records of all of his son’s financial transactions throughout the years, as reported by NBC News.
Weinshanker explained to the source that Vernon “kept everything, every receipt, because he had some trouble with the law early on in his adult life.” “You ask us, ‘What did [Elvis] do on this particular day in 1962?’ Based only on his financial expenditures, we have a good idea of what he did.”
In a prior interview, Kruse acknowledged the family’s meticulous record-keeping, but she expressed skepticism that the musician’s whole possessions were fully documented.
“We weren’t present. In her earlier interview, Kruse stated, “None of us were there.” “How then can they declare, ‘We have everything,’ without a doubt, without reservation? It’s not feasible.”
She went on, “If her personal memories don’t matter, then whose do?” in reference to Priscilla’s support of the purportedly Elvis-owned goods from their breakup.
This is not Priscilla’s first legal struggle with Kruse; she filed a lawsuit earlier this week. After the two of them founded Priscilla Presley Partners, Kruse filed a lawsuit against Priscilla in 2023, claiming that she had broken a contract.
In her Thursday-filed countersuit, Priscilla claims that Kruse and three associates defrauded her of $1 million through a financial elder abuse scam.
The 79-year-old was assured by Kruse and her colleagues that they could assist take better care of her funds and better “exploit her name, image, and likeness on her behalf,” but according to Priscilla’s attorneys, the group actually tricked and deceived her.
