- Dentist Buys Elvis Presley's Crown
(CBS News / AP, August 17, 2007)
Dentist Buys Porcelain Crown That Covered Gap In Elvis Presley's Teeth
A dentist has purchased an unusual bit of Elvis memorabilia - a porcelain crown that covered a gap in the King's teeth and the plaster mold used to make it.
"He had nice teeth," said Dr. Jim McCarthy, 58. "From a dentist's point of view, I find it interesting."
McCarthy received the crown this week from the son of the dentist who made it. The crown came with affidavits from the dentist's family and a signed letter from Elvis' manager, Joe Esposito.
Lewis Weiss, 59, said Elvis Presley lived next door to his grandmother in Memphis, Tenn. His father, Henry Weiss was the Presley family dentist. "My dad took care of Elvis and his family before he had a record out," Weiss said in a telephone interview. "We used to play in the yard with Elvis. He used to sing to us."
His father kept a mold and spare crown in case Elvis needed one in an emergency. That happened in February 1971, when Elvis cracked his crown on a microphone while performing in Las Vegas at the International Hotel, now the Hilton. That was before overnight delivery, so Weiss, then 23, volunteered to fly to Las Vegas with the tooth. Elvis invited him to stay and gave him a front row seat to a concert. "My elbow was on the stage," Weiss remembered. "That night we got to party in his room."
After Elvis took the spare crown, Weiss' father made another.
Elvis died 30 years ago Thursday at age 42. Dentist Henry Weiss died in 1990.
McCarthy, a colonel with the Wisconsin National Guard, cut a deal to buy the mold and crown from Lewis Weiss while serving his second tour in Iraq. His son Patrick is a big Elvis fan and will inherit them, he said.
McCarthy wouldn't say how much he paid for the artifacts.
A forensics dentist, he said it didn't take long to authenticate them. "If you look at the pictures of Elvis, you can see those teeth line up," McCarthy said. His examination revealed something else as well: "I tend to think maybe he did some grinding."
- Elvis' porcelain crown to go on eBay
(UPI, December 13, 2006)
The family of a Memphis dentist is putting the King of Rock and Roll's porcelain crown up for auction on eBay next month. A press release from the family of Dr. Henry Weiss, who was Elvis Presley's dentist until 1971, said the model of Presley's teeth and the porcelain crown will be offered -- along with a letter of authenticity signed by Joe Esposito, Elvis' longtime road manager. The eBay auction will begin Jan. 8, 2007, which would have been Presley's 72nd birthday. The letter from Esposito says Weiss always kept an extra crown on the model of Elvis Presley's teeth in case he chipped or cracked his crown. In February 1971, Elvis cracked his crown on a microphone while performing in Las Vegas. Esposito said Weiss' son, S. Lewis Weiss, flew a replacement crown to Las Vegas.
- Man Sells Appearances with Elvis Cup
(WECT TV6, July 27, 2005)
A North Carolina man has an interesting way to make extra cash. It has to do with a cup he says has ties to the king of rock and roll. Wade Jones took time out of his vacation in Kure Beach to show News 6 his styrofoam cup. He says Elvis drank water out of it at a concert in Charlotte in 1977. A security guard gave him the cup to keep as a souvenir. Jones even kept the water in the freezer for ten years.
Now he's selling appearances with the cup on eBay. Recently he was paid $3,000 to bring it to a charity event in Colorado. Jones swears the cup is legitimate. He even had the manufacturer verify the cup is more than 27 years old.
 
- Elvis Sighted (in frying pan)
(e-Bay, July, 2005)
Sold on e-Bay: A cooking accident while making pancakes has revealed the image of Elvis in the burnt bottom of the pan caused bypancake mix. Would suit Elvis collectors and makes a great conversation piece. Frying pan is old and in average condition being a 'Chief' # 244 4 egg frying pan with an imprint of an American Indian head wearing head gear. Be the first on your block to own this unusual item.
- C.J.: Lohan's locks for sale on eBay
(Star Tribune, July 13, 2005 )
Someone went to eBay Tuesday to make a big hairy deal out of what's left in a brush that supposedly was used on the noggin' of Lindsay Lohan.
Ebay seller brealbronco identified herself/himself on the auction site as a "hair dresser" on Lohan's current movie, "A Prairie Home Companion," being shot in St. Paul. The opening bid was set at $100 (shipping cost from Minneapolis, $5. Whut, the celebrity hair merchant isn't insuring this prized item?). The site notes a winning bidder, but we're unsure of the final price paid by gace00031mjh.
... I asked Tom Schmidt, manager of 1609, formerly Urban Retreat, to pretend he was in possession of strands of Lohan's hair that he wanted to sell on ebay. Schmidt, who has never styled Lohan's coif, could not quite wrap his curling wand around the concept. "And I want to sell it?" said Schmidt. "Oh, how ridiculous! Nobody's hair" is worth money. How about locks from Elvis? "Well maybe," said Schmidt, who quickly reversed course, "Noooooo. It's ridiculous. Why would you want a couple of hairs of Elvis'? It's all ridiculous." ...
- Nutballz(TM) Buys Elvis Cup Appearance - Are You Surprised?
(Khalsa News Network, April 7, 2005)
After the successful Ebay sale of the leftover water from a cup Elvis drank from, Wade Jones, of Belmont, NC, decided to auction off a one time appearance of that same Styrofoam water cup. While many scoffed at the idea, Nutballz(TM) Inc., a diabetic and celiac friendly food company from Boulder, CO, realized that was just the thing they were looking for. The owner of Nutballz Inc., Kyla Duffy, happened to see the news about the surreal auction on Fox News as she was planning a fundraising event for the Center for Celiac Research. According to Duffy, "as soon as I saw the news piece, I knew that it was absolutely necessary that Nutballz Inc. has the famous Elvis Cup at our fundraising event on the 25th (of January)." The fundraising event, Nutballz Night Out, will be at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, CO, on January 25th, 2005, from 6pm - 10pm. Along with the opportunity to have a picture taken with the Elvis Cup, guests will have the opportunity to enter a raffle, enjoy live music, eat discounted food and wine, and compete for the title of "King (or Queen) of Karaoke." Information about Celiac Disease as well as samples of gluten free food will also be available. ...
- Elvis's Hair Helps Sell Classic Muscle Cars
(The Auto Channel / EWORLDWIRE, March 23, 2005)
Northern Illinois Classic Auto Brokers, Ltd. and Classicmusclecars.com announced today that their rock and roll memorabilia collection has acquired Elvis Presley's authentic hair. Presley's hair and other memorabilia can be viewed online at classicmusclecars.com, along with the documentation of providence on video. Presley's hair will join other memorabilia including, a rare 36 diamond TCB ring, a leather jacket worn by Presley around Graceland, a guitar given to John Wayne signed by Presley for a birthday present and many records, pictures and other miscellaneous collectibles at Classicmusclecars.com's showroom.
"Elvis was not only a rock and roller, he was a car guy too. He loved beautiful cars and loved to buy them. He also gave away many of the cars that he owned, which showed great generosity and kindness from a once poor southern boy who became the most famous entertainer of our time. His slogan TCB, which means taking care of business in a flash, has been inspirational to many people including myself. The TCB ring that we have in our collection has profound meaning as our company was started on a shoe string in 1978 and has become one of the major classic muscle car dealers in the country. No matter how hard of an uphill battle I had to climb everyday, I always remembered TCB.
"Although people may feel a little uncomfortable with the fact that we have acquired some of Elvis's real hair, I feel it brings him even closer to help us with the success of selling classic muscle cars. It brings out that good feeling to people when they buy classic muscle cars just like the good feeling they get when they listen to Elvis's music. He is still with us everyday at our showrooms at classicmusclecars.com," said Tony Begley, owner and founder of Northern Illinois Classic Auto Brokers and Classicmusclecars.com.
- Elvis has left the building, but we have lost our minds
(pantagraph.com, February 13, 2005)
It's ridiculous to think that anyone would pay $455 for 3 ounces of water thought to have been touched by Elvis at a 1977 concert. Or, how about $748 for a tree limb that supposedly broke off a tree at Graceland during Elvis' funeral. And, this is just the start of hundreds of weird celebrity items that have sold at auctions, many of them on Internet auction sites, during recent years. People have way too much time and money on their hands if they must resort to searching out and buying these absurd and unauthenticated items on an Internet site. But, there are other options. Why not take the money wasted on these whacky items and use them to fund a real cause -- one of which the celebrity might even approve. Perhaps a donation to a drug and alcohol abuse program instead of the 3 ounces of water, or, how about a gift to a local arboretum instead of the tree limb? These would seem to honor the celebrity and be a much better use of the money. ...
- Elvis Presley Styrofoam Cup For Sale
(DCE Cinemas
, February 10, 2005)
A world-famous Styrofoam cup once used by Elvis Presley is being sold by its owner Wade Jones for $10,000 on the site eBay... but only if Paul McCartney bids. He also claims that he will give all the proceeds to Heather McCartney's favourite charity 'No More Landmines'.
Many have tried to buy the cup from Jones in the past, but he had refused all of the offers. The cup manufacturer Dart Container has also allegedly put in a bid. Mr Jones also takes it on tour with him around the US to raise money for various charities.
Wade Jones took the cup from an Elvis concert in Charlotte in February 1977, six months before the legendary singer died. Wade has since built up a cult status for the relic.He even has a website, elviscup.com, which celebrates the cup and supplies facts.
- TRASH OR TREASURE?
(Casey Research: What We Now Know
, February 1, 2005)
So the old saying goes, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." However, when the 'treasures' in question are 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwiches, or even human toe-nail clippings, one has to wonder: Who on earth would save them? And, more important, who would want to buy them, often bidding thousands of dollars? eBay - a favorite marketplace for merchants of the bizarre - saw bids flood in for a half-eaten, decade-old toasted sandwich, which just so happened to bear an image of the Virgin Mary. ... Still, items relating to non-holy icons have been known to attract large pilgrimages, too. At the Honolulu Academy of Arts, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, a test tube is purportedly home to "The Elvis Wart." The exhibit - which isn't supported by the Presley estate - also includes a lock of The King's hair and an Elvis toenail. And last December, three spoonfuls of water from a styrofoam cup Elvis sipped from at a 1977 concert in North Carolina were auctioned off on eBay by Elvis-fan Wade Jones. The water sold for $455. A month later, Jones attempted to sell a peek at the now empty cup - but not the cup itself - for $300, according to the Associated Press. ...
- Water Cup Used By Elvis Begins Tour In Colorado: Boulder Company Using Cup To Raise Money For Celiac Research
(thedenverchannel.com / Associated Press, January 24, 2005)
A 28-year-old Styrofoam cup that once touched the lips of Elvis Presley has arrived in Colorado -- after a Boulder company paid what one official called a "King's Ransom" to borrow it. Nutballz put in the winning eBay bid earlier this month to have the cup appear at a fundraiser. The company makes diet foods for people who have celiac disease and can't eat products containing gluten. The cup will appear at "Nutballz Night Out" Tuesday. Guests will be able to have their photos taken with the cup for $1 to raise money for celiac research. Wade Jones of North Carolina retrieved the cup of water during a 1977 Elvis concert. He sold a plastic vial of water on eBay for $455 last month.
- Elvis cup auction won by Colo. diet company
(azcentral.com / Associated Press, January 4, 2005)
Guess who shelled out the money for an appearance with the cup Elvis drank from? Nutballz. A company called Nutballz put in the winning eBay bid for an appearance of the Styrofoam cup. Wade Jones of Belmont, N.C., sold the water from a cup from which Elvis drank in 1977, then auctioned off an appearance with the cup, since he didn't want to sell it.
Nutballz is a company that makes diet alternatives for those with celiac disease, who cannot eat gluten products. It bought the appearance to raise awareness of celiac disease. It will feature the cup at its "Nutballz Night Out" in Boulder on Jan. 25. Guests will be able to have their photos taken with the cup for a dollar, to raise money for celiac research. Nutballz isn't saying how much it paid for the cup appearance.
- Health food firm borrows cup Elvis used: Use of souvenir won in oddball eBay bid
By David Milstead
(Rocky Mountain News, January 4, 2005)
We know. Only a nutball would pay good money to borrow a plastic foam cup allegedly used by Elvis. Or more specifically, Nutballz, a Boulder-based company - founded by a former professional snowboarder - that makes cookies that are free of wheat or refined sugars. Nutballz won an eBay auction to borrow Elvis' styrofoam cup and will use it to raise money at the Nutballz Night Out Fundraiser Party Jan. 25 at the Boulder Theater.
It is hard to determine which part of this story is stranger. Let's start with Wade Jones of Belmont, N.C., who says he saw Elvis in Charlotte, N.C., in February 1977. Searching for a souvenir after the show, he asked a policeman for the plastic foam cup that Elvis drank out of. "When I got home, I didn't know exactly what to do with it, so I put some Saran Wrap over the cup, put a rubber band around it, and placed it in the door of our deep freezer," Jones writes in his eBay posting. Last month, Jones auctioned off the water that Elvis had left in the cup for $455, but refused to sell the cup. Instead, he came upon the idea of auctioning off the right to see the cup for a day - an auction which Nutballz apparently won.
"After 27 years, the 'Elvis Cup' will finally go on TOUR once again!" Jones says on eBay. "The Elvis Cup and I are flying to Boulder, Colorado for a charity event/promotional tour." Jones could not be reached late Monday for an interview. All comments are taken from the narrative in his latest auction - an autographed photo of Elvis and the cup. Not autographed by Elvis, mind you - "Signed personally by me . . . 'The Elvis Water Cup Guy, Wade Jones.' "
Now for Nutballz. The company will charge attendees at the Nutballz Night Out $1 to have their picture taken with the cup. "A portion of the money raised" will benefit the University of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research, which studies gluten intolerance. Also, the company hopes "to help raise awareness for celiac disease." Because we wrote this story, it worked. Nutballz, according to the company's Web site, "give you energy through protein-packed whey and rice, coupled with delicious, fiberful nut butters!" People who love to eat wheat, refined sugars and fat are excused from wondering if they might like chewing on plastic foam better. Those who feel left out of all the hysteria have alternatives on eBay.
One seller offers a chance to "See a cup that Elvis never saw or touched." This cup, he says, "was made in the late '80s, almost a decade after Elvis' . . . This is a nice ceramic cup - not some cheap Styrofoam cup - and has a starting bid that's much less than the cost of some other prominent cup auctions." No one has bid the minimum $3.
- Water torture
(Toronto Star, January 1, 2005)
May 2005 please put an end to nutbars auctioning holy images and relics on eBay and greater nutbars buying them. Joining the Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich and the Jesus fish stick is water that Elvis supposedly didn't finish at a 1977 concert. Wade Jones of North Carolina says he kept the foam cup and its liquid contents for 27 years before suctioning out the remaining few tablespoons of water. The winning bid for the water was $455 (U.S.). Jones, 40, says he nabbed the cup from the stage after a Presley concert at the Charlotte Coliseum in February, 1977, six months before the bloated icon snuffed it.
- First water, now cup in Elvis auctions
(Seattle Post-Intelligencer / ASSOCIATED PRESS, December 29, 2004)
Miss your chance to buy some water from a cup once used by Elvis Presley? Don't be disappointed - now you can bid on a chance to see, but not own, the cup that held the water. The North Carolina man who sold the water on eBay last week is now auctioning off a one-time appearance of the Styrofoam cup that originally held the water. Wade Jones retrieved the cup and water when he went to a Presley concert in Greensboro in 1977. He saw Presley drink from the cup while introducing his band, and later asked a security guard to give him the cup as a souvenir.
The water, sealed in a plastic vial, sold for $455 on the online auction site on Saturday. Jones doesn't want to sell the cup, but is willing to put it on display. He wanted a minimum bid of $300, plus travel expenses, for an appearance by the cup, preferably on Elvis's birthday Jan. 8. As of Wednesday morning, Jones had received one bid for $300.
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