Elvis Presley and his Gibson Dove guitar. Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
Harris kept the guitar for nearly 41 years. In May 2016, Julien’s Auctions sold it in New York for $334,000, including the buyer’s premium. The Asheville show, where Presley gave the guitar away, came on the last night of the three-night run in 1975. Just Collecting dates the concert to July 24, 1975, and the Elvis Presley Music website page for that show lists the same date. Elvis advertising for the release of the soundtrack album to the 1977 CBS Television special Elvis in Concert.
Because of its value, there is another report saying that he advised Mike to keep the guitar as he would need it someday.
Elvis Presley was partway through “See See Rider” in Asheville, North Carolina, when he stopped what he was doing and gave the guitar in his hands to a fan, according to Julien’s Auctions. Accounts offer on exactly what Presley said, as he handed it over, but the fan walked out with an instrument that had been central to the singer’s stage act for several years. The guitar was used by Elvis Presley on stage during 1971-1973, including his concert “Aloha from Hawaii” The highlight of this period was Aloha from Hawaii, the concert broadcast worldwide by satellite on January 14, 1973. Presley was playing “See See Rider” when he gave the guitar to Mike, who was shocked to receive the present, according to Julien’s Auctions. As Julien’s Auctions points out, different accounts differ and according to Artnet, Elvis is supposed to have said something like “Someday, it will help you out.
The fan, Mike Harris, had come for the show and left with a customised Gibson Dove that had already been seen by a worldwide television audience. Artnet described the performance as the first concert broadcast globally by satellite. Image credits: Wikimedia Commons It is unknown what exact words Elvis used.
Gibson Dove from Elvis Presley‘s estate was auctioned at Julien’s Auctions’ ‘ Music Icon’ auction on 21st May, 2016 in New York, as reported by the BBC at the Hard Rock Cafe. The highest bid for the item was $270,000 and the total hammer price was $334,000, which includes the buyer’s premium. The pre-sale estimate for the item was $300,000, so the $270,000 hammer price fell short of it and only the buyer’s premium pushed the final price to $334,000, according to Artnet. Paul Fraser Collectibles considered this item as the second most expensive Elvis memorabilia sold until that time, the first one being the golden piano that was sold at $600,000 in the previous year.