Elvis Presley, the influential “King of Rock and Roll”, had a significant impact on music and popular culture. Collectors and fans have a strong interest in acquiring memorabilia associated with his life and career. The sale of his dirty underwear for $8,000 at an auction in 2012 is a reflection of the scarcity of such items, their historical value, and the enduring demand among enthusiasts. While it may seem unusual, the market for celebrity memorabilia encompasses a wide range of items, and the sale highlights the fascination people have with iconic figures like Elvis Presley.
The pants, which were worn by Presley underneath one of his jumpsuits during a performance in 1977, hadn’t been washed since Elvis took them off, and featured a suspicious yellow stain on the front of the crotch.
Elvis did not want any lines visible while he was on stage wearing his vast array of dazzling jumpsuits and this pair of underpants was obtained from the estate of Vernon Presley, Elvis’ father.
Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42 after suffering a heart attack. He is buried in the grounds of Graceland alongside his parents and grandmother. There is also a memorial headstone for his twin, Jesse Garon.
Yellow stains on the front of a pair of underwear is never "suspicious."
ReplyDeleteThese briefs did not make the upset price of $12,000 even though the highest bid had been $8,000. I have not seen any info on what happened to them afterwards if they did not sell at the auction. These briefs were made by Munsingwear and were 100% nylon tricot or "Trico-lon" as a Munsingwear trademark. In the later 1960's and through the 70's, every major men's underwear brand made 100% nylon tricot underwear (briefs, shorts, tanks, and T-shirts). This included : BVD, JC Penney's, Sears, Munsingwear, Paris (mainly marketed to blacks) and Jockey, the last major brand to make nylon underwear. The only remaining one today is Player's and no longe made in the USA. It was before they had invented lycra in the mid-70's and these were very silky and comfortable underwear. At this time, all Speedo (and speedo-like) suits were also made out of 100% nylon--again, pre-lycra. Apparently Elvis preferred nylon briefs as well as nylon tricot pajamas. During this time of Disco, 100% nylon shirts (or 50% nylon and 50% acetate) were also popular with men. While I have no proof, I believe the Cotton Lobby was worried they had lost a significant market to nylon and cotton fabric had fallen in popularity. They mounted a campaign against Nylon even insisting that the double nylon crotches on panties caused yeast infections (if not cancer) and insisted that cotton needed to line the crotch. Nylon shirts were linked with disco, silky with sleazy, and the wide collars with the "pimp" look. Even nylon sheets and bedding began to disappear and within 10-15 years, nylon for men had all but disappeared. It was a major smear campaign that worked. They even invented a new type of nylon called Tactel or Supplex that was almost the same as cotton. They even managed to get the very popular "Green Silkies" military PT shorts banned. This created a backlash from the army who now have "Silkies Marches" and wear the still made by Soffee, but banned, nylon shorts to draw attention to military suicide which occur daily from PTSD. Ok, more than anyone wants to know.....
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