A white Wm Knabe & Co piano that stood in Elvis Presley's music room at Graceland from 1957-1969 is to sell at Heritage Auctions.
The piano was built in 1912.
 Elvis coveted this piano while growing up, and bought it in 1957 |
Its early years remain a mystery, but in the 1930s it was installed at the Ellis Auditorium in Memphis.
There it was played by a who's who of music greats - including Count Basie and Duke Ellington.
It was of huge sentimental value to Elvis, so when it came up for sale in the 1950s he knew he had to have it.
Elvis had visited the Ellis Auditorium many times while growing up to watch local gospel bands perform.
The piano, central to these performances, was an important symbol of how far he'd come - from a poor teenager to an international superstar.
Heritage explains: "As soon as Elvis heard of the availability of this instrument, he wanted it as part of the original furnishings for his new home in Memphis called Graceland…
"For the serious Elvis Presley fan or collector, it's hard to imagine a more important musical relic ever being made available to the public."
The lot is expected to make in excess of $600,000 when it crosses the block in Beverly Hills on June 24-25.
A gold plated piano that Elvis bought from another Memphis music hall sold for $600,000 last year.
We have an authentic strand of Elvis' hair for sale, click here to take a look.
Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about music memorabilia auctions.
