'Antiques Roadshow' guest hugs expert after finding out the real value of her Elvis Presley cutout
It's not uncommon for movie memorabilia as well as items related to famous personalities to turn up on "Antiques Roadshow." It's also natural for fans of these stars to get emotional once they find out the monetary value of items that were so precious to them because of the sentiments attached to them. One such fan of Elvis Presley broke down in tears after finding out the value of her prized memorabilia. The guest who brought in the rare Elvis cutout shared that she had the "Love Me Tender" standee by her bedside for years as she wanted to wake up and look at her favorite artist every day. The show's appraiser, Laura Woolley, revealed that it was also a rare artifact related to the artist. The expert went on to value the item between $10,000 to $15,000, leaving the guest in tears.
"From what I understand, it's called a standee. I am an avid Elvis lover, and some awesome friends of mine were cleaning a home that they bought out to renovate, and lo and behold in the attic they found Elvis," the fan told Woolley. She added that the minute they found it, they knew what to do, and they brought it straight to her as a gift. Taking over, Woolley explained that the cutout was particularly special because it was from "Love Me Tender." "It's his first feature-length film, and at the time, the film was supposed to be called the 'Reno Brothers,' which are the title characters, but his hit single 'Love Me Tender' had already sold a million copies so, they actually retitled the film," the appraiser explained.
She further added that since Presley was such a huge star, the producers of the film decorated the theatres with items like the standee. "You do have a crease, that's pretty common, as most of these were just in pieces by the time a film's run would be finished. The crease across the center is how it was made. So, they're made to fold so they can be shipped, and there were reports that you couldn't hear the film because the girls in the theater were screaming so loudly because there, he was such a heartthrob," she added while explaining the significance of the item.
Woolley noted that most of the standees from the time were torn to shreds by the fans who wanted a piece of Presley after they came out of the theatres. "So, there are only about two or three of these known to exist. So many were destroyed," she told the guest.
Coming to the appraisal, Woolley emphasized that the simple-looking item was very rare, so at an auction, it would easily bring about $10,000 to $15,000. Hearing this, the guest broke down in tears, and when Woolley asked her if she would still keep it by her bedside, she said, "Absolutely! You're kidding!" Woolley assured her that the item was worth that much, as she had never seen one before in her career. The guest then went over to hug the expert, saying, "You made my day! I'm glad! Thank you very much!"
In the end, Worley told the guest that the collectors of the artist's memorabilia are probably the only ones who would have another standee like this.
