Elvis Presley’s pair of blue suede shoes, £95,000 at Henry Aldridge & Son.
Elvis blue suede shoes step into sale
Elvis Presley’s pair of blue suede shoes worn on the Steve Allen Show in 1956 are to be auctioned on June 28-29 by Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire.
The song Blue Suede Shoes was written in 1955 by Carl Perkins and although Presley was hesitant to perform a competing cover single out of respect for his good friend, the track was recorded in 1956.
It later appeared as the first track in Presley’s debut album and was performed on national television three times that year – including the Steve Allen Show where he wore this pair.
Presley made reference to the shoes before he sang, I Want You, I Need You, I Love You on the show. According to the auction house, Presley then gave the shoes to his friend and entourage member Alan Fortes the night before his induction into the US Army when he was giving away his unwanted clothes prior to joining up.
Part of the Two Day Auction of Showbiz, Fine Art, Jewellery and Collectors Items sale, the size 10½ shoes carry a guide of £100,000-120,000.
French Old Master specialist shake-up
French Old Master specialist Eric Turquin has divested part of his business to Stéphane Pinta, his partner for 18 years, and to the de Bayser brothers who have acquired a minority stake in the company.
Cabinet Turquin, founded in 1987, specialises in research and appraisals and has worked with a range of vendors, galleries and auction houses over nearly four decades. The firm also holds a library of 20,000 books and 600,000 photographs which it is currently digitising in order to create its important documentary collection.
Eric Turquin will continue to work within the business.
Pinta is an SFEP expert (the French Syndicate of Professional Experts in Works of Art and Collectibles) and joined Turquin in 2007 after a career as a restaurateur and dealer.
Two new arrivals at Harper Field
Simon Weager is joining Gloucestershire saleroom Harper Field as a book specialist.
Vinyl record specialist Mike Kuklenko has also joined the business based in Stonehouse, near Stroud.
Kuklenko is a long-term vinyl collector of soul but will assess values on all musical genres and has so far discovered rare Led Zeppelin, Beatles, jazz and prog rock records.
Toys expert Devitt joins Catawiki
Online auction marketplace Catawiki has appointed Sean Devitt as expert in tin toys and Dinky Toys. He previously worked for Bamfords Auctioneers heading up the toy and juvenalia department.
It’s yet another Hansons saleroom
Hot on the heels of the announcement of a new saleroom being opened by Hansons, another one has been revealed.
As reported in ATG last week (No 2648), the auction house took over The Rostrum in Norfolk as the latest in a series of launches.
Now it is the turn of the historic village of Penshurst, near Tonbridge, Kent, which becomes the seventh saleroom run by Hansons, which began in Etwall, Derbyshire, in 2005.
Owner Charles Hanson says: “Hansons began serving the people of Kent, Sussex and neighbouring counties from The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells in 2023. It gained success but, due to parking issues, we saw the need to relocate to provide easier access for clients.”
The Hansons Kent and Sussex auction centre is located at The Old Post Office, Leicester Square, with the first auction set for September.
It will be run by Justin Matthews, who has 34 years of experience at Sotheby’s.
After leaving school he joined London’s Thomas Moore Auctioneers in Greenwich. He “gained a thorough grounding in all aspects of the business – cataloguing, valuing, auctioneering and portering. This stood me in good stead in 1989 when I joined Sotheby’s in New Bond Street as a gallery porter. I progressed through the ranks to become director of operations and logistics.”
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In Numbers
5
Number of paintings pulled from display at the Kunsthaus Zurich gallery amid Nazi-loot concerns. It was reported that the decision came because the foundation that manages the Emil Georg Bührle Collection, which the works are part of, is seeking a settlement with the heirs of Jewish families that claim multiple works in the group were looted.
