Elvis’ blue suede shoes may fetch £120k at auction

Blue suede shoes worn by Elvis Presley could fetch £120,000 when they are sold at auction.

Known as the king of rock and roll, the singer, wore the pair on and off stage during the 1950s, including during an appearance on the Steve Allen television show.

The shoes are expected to fetch between £100,000 and £120,000 when they are sold by auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, on Friday.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: “They are as iconic as they can be.”

“Blue suede shoes, hound dog, these are things that you think of immediately when you talk about Elvis Presley, they almost transcend popular culture.

“They are just an exceptional piece of show business, music and popular culture memorabilia.”

The shoes, which are sized 10.5, were eventually given to his friend and branch manager Alan Fortas after Presley was called up to join the American army.

Mr Aldridge said: “When Elvis was joined up for the American Army he had a get together at Graceland.

“Elvis called some of these people upstairs and was giving away some of the clothes he didn’t think he’d need or want when he came back from the army,” he added.

The icon acquired the shoes, which have been displayed in various museums over the years, after performing Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins on his debut album, Elvis Presley.

Mr Aldridge said the shoes had been verified by Jimmy Velvet, a close friend of Presley and a leading authority on the singer.

Last year, the auction house sold a mink coat owned by the singer for £128,000 to a US collector.

Accompanied by an Elvis Presley Museum certificate of authenticity, a sterling silver genuine Tigers Eye Necklace worn by the singer will also be up for sale.

Also being auctioned on Friday is a two-piece suit worn by Queen’s Freddie Mercury.

The suit, alongside a pair of black velvet Church’s ‘Crown’ loafers, which are also up for auction, was worn during the ‘I’m Going Slightly Mad’ music video, months before his death in 1991.