The Danger of Auctions

The thing about auctions that makes them a little bit dangerous is that sometimes you can get caught up in the excitement of the moment and start bidding on something that you don't really need or want.  After the bidding is over and you find yourself the winner of the item in question, it's too late to change your mind.

Which is how I ended up with this collection of Elvis memorabilia even though I wouldn't call myself a big Elvis fan. Oh sure, I like his music well enough to survive 3 days of "all Elvis, all the time" for two years in a row now at the festival in Collingwood and yes, I wouldn't mind making the trip to Graceland one of these days, but the reality is I didn't really need this little collection of things.  But at the auction last week, I definitely got caught up and bid higher than I needed to and suddenly, I found myself the proud owner of the following:

(1) A "Blue Hawaii" record album from October 1961, featuring the Jordanaires:

(The amount of pancake makeup Elvis is wearing in the above photo simply astounds me!)

(2) A collector's edition of LIFE magazine from 1995, put out for what would have been his 60th birthday:

It's LIFE magazine, so you know it's got some great photos.

(3) A softcover book called "The Illustrated Elvis" from 1976, written just after he turned 40 and before his death.

(4) A tabloid style magazine entitled "Elvis - One Year Later" from 1978, which has a two sided poster ("Giant Centerfold!") stapled into the middle:

(5) And a booklet of photos that was once the insert in a record album, full of great (a.k.a. cheesy) photos of Elvis in some of those crazy white pantsuits, oops, I mean costumes, that I know will be very entertaining to share with my fellow Elvis fans next year in Collingwood.

I did resist bidding on the Jailhouse Rock collector plate at the auction, although it turns out I could have had it for only $5.

Nevertheless, I am enjoying looking through these things today, on the 34th anniversary of the day he died.