If I Can Dream Single
The track “If I Can Dream / Bridge Over Troubled Water” will be released on October 20, 2015 in Germany. Contrary to the “wrinkled” paper cover for the UK single this cover is “new”.Russian Tsar
Elvis' famous double headed eagle "Russian Tsar" crest claw ring. This unique ring has incredible history and impeccable provenance, with well over 100 photographs of it being worn by Elvis.The ring originally belonged to Elvis' father, Vernon Presley, who wore it often in 1972 and 1973. The earliest photo of Elvis wearing it are from his opening performance at the Las Vegas Hilton on 26th January 1972. During the early part of 1974 Elvis 'borrowed' the ring again to wear on stage and wore it many times thereafter.
Some two weeks before Elvis was due to perform in Mobile Alabama on August 29th 1976, local man Tommy Milham was first in line to buy tickets at the Municipal Auditorium, where he took his place early in the evening and stayed in line all night until the doors opened in the morning. The same evening the staff from the Mobile press came out and interviewed him for the newspaper reporting how he waited in line with hot drinks, lunch and a portable chair to sleep on. Mr Milham sat in the front row for the concert and when Elvis spotted him waving the newspaper with the headline 'First In Line With Patience' , Elvis approached him and took the newspaper. He read the headline, and thanked the fan by asking if he'd like a scarf. Mr Milham pointed at the huge ring Elvis was wearing and shouted "No, I want that ring!" Elvis told him that he couldn't give his ring away and handed him a scarf instead. Mr Milham shouted again, demanding the ring. Elvis finally shrugged his shoulders and with an embarrassed look he slipped the ring from his finger and handed it to Mr Milham.
The incredible gesture made the New York Times and some television coverage too. Years later the story appeared in Becky Yancey's book My Life With Elvis
The current owner recalls... "Being an avid Elvis collector, I've had some nice pieces of his jewellery in the past, but most weren't pieces that Elvis would have remembered. The items simply weren't close enough to Elvis for me and I wanted to own something that was very meaningful to him, something that he loved and something he knew extremely well.
On August 9th 2003, whilst surfing the internet, I came across this ring for sale. The reserve price of $70,000 (£39,600) was not met and I immediately contacted Mr Milham and made him an offer, but it was refused. Months passed by and I kept in contact with Mr Milham, who refused to drop the price. In February 2004 he finally backed down and accepted my offer. On March 19th 2004 I headed for the USA on a short three day visit to pick up the ring in person. I met Mr Milham at his bank, where he had kept the ring in a vault for 28 years. I handed him the funds and he gave me the ring, and I was back in England the following day. To document the trip I've kept the flight ticket, bankers draft receipt, my hotel receipt and travel agent details. I even made sure I got a photograph of Mr Milham and myself during the transaction.
At its widest point the 14ct gold ring measures 25mm and features 52 diamonds on a blue lapis stone. Since the current owner purchased the ring directly from Mr Milham in 2004, he has stored it safely away in his safe for all these years. He has carried out an incredible amount of research and collated a huge amount of paperwork, articles and photographs relating to the ring. The lot includes the numerous newspaper clippings, a vhs tape, dvd and a cd from the 1976 concert, a legal affidavit from Tommy Milhan and further research into the provenance of the ring, including a detailed catalogue of around 100 concerts when the ring was worn in public by 'The King' together with folders of photographs.
(Source: Elvis On CD / Elvis Memories / The Sale Room)