MEMPHIS — An acetate recording of the ballad “My Happiness,” the first song Elvis Presley ever recorded, sold at auction Thursday night for $300,000.
An undisclosed Internet buyer placed the winning bid at Graceland, the museum and tourist attraction that was Presley’s former home. The auction was held on what would have been the late singer’s 80th birthday.
The 78 rpm record, with its tattered yellow label, sold for $240,000. But the total buyer’s price includes a premium of 25 percent, or $60,000, that goes to the auction house, Graceland Auctions. Bidding for the record started at $50,000.
Other items in the auction included scarves worn by Presley at concerts, gold necklaces with the initials TCB (short for the slogan “Taking Care of Business”), prescription sunglasses made for Presley, and his first driver’s license.
But the big prize was the “My Happiness” record, which is highly valued because of its place in the career of Presley, who died in Memphis on Aug. 16, 1977. The acetate is in original condition and the record is playable.