Elvis 'If I Can Dream' boots fetch £29,500 at auction
A pair of white boots worn by Elvis Presley during arguably his most famous TV performance have been bought by a UK collector for £29,500.
The King wore the size-11 Verde boots while singing If I Can Dream during his '68 Comeback Special, broadcast on NBC. Elvis recorded the song two months after the assassination of Martin Luther King and the lyrics include quotes from the civil rights leader. The boots went under the hammer at Henry Aldridge auctioneers in Devizes. Elvis wore a black leather outfit for most of the famous performance before changing into a white suit and shoes for the finale. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said Elvis had recorded the song "in several incredibly passionate takes". He said: "To show producer Steve Binder his performance was so staggering it seemed almost like a religious experience. "Out on the floor with a hand mic, Elvis fell to his knees. For a moment, it appeared like he was back in church, singing the gospel songs of his youth. "These boots represent a tangible link to this truly iconic moment in showbusiness history. "If I Can Dream was the closing number of one of the greatest moments in entertainment history and is regarded by Elvis collectors as one of the 'Holy Grails'." The boots were sold along with a handwritten letter from stage director Charlie Hodge, who appeared with Elvis on the NBC show. Mr Hodge wrote in his letter: "These white Verde brand boots are the boots that Elvis wore on stage on his 1968 NBC TV special. "He wore these in the closing number of the show, If I Can Dream, while he was wearing a white suit. Elvis later gave me these boots." Some of Elvis Presley's belongings that have previously sold at auction: Elvis's pink 1961 Cadillac sold for £21,000 in 2006 A strand of Elvis' hair, saved by his personal barber, fetched £1,055 in 2009 His bible sold for £59,000 in 2012 Presley's record player sold for £4,400 in 2013 The first record Elvis ever made sold for £198,000 in January And two items that failed to sell: A pair of soiled underpants with a reserve price of £10,000 in 2012 A tooth said to have been pulled out of Elvis's mouth after an injury also failed to sell on eBay in 2003