Elvis Presley's Personal Bible to Be Auctioned with a Starting Bid of $30,000
- Michael Foust Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Updated May 23, 2024
A personal Bible owned by the king of rock and roll will be auctioned off beginning Saturday, but fans who want it will need deep pockets. The Bible was on Elvis Presley’s nightstand the night he died. It has his name embossed on the cover and underlined verses. GWS Auctions is selling it beginning May 25 with a starting bid of $30,000. Bid increments must be at least $2,500. It comes with a letter from his cousin, Patsy Presley; the Bible is the World Edition.
“Shortly after Elvis' passing my uncle Vernon (Elvis' dad) and I went up into Elvis' bedroom at Graceland to organize and pack many of his personal belongings,” the letter reads. “This Holy Bible was one of three that Elvis had on his night table. After packing them Uncle Vernon had me take them home for safe keeping and eventually gave them to me.”
The front cover includes “Elvis Aaron Presley” embossed in gold, and the inner content contains a “large amount of book marked pages and underlined passages that seemingly spoke to Elvis,” according to GWS Auctions.
Among the verses highlighted by Elvis is Job 31:24-26: If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand has gotten much; If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness.”
Elvis highlighted Genesis 1:31: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
He also highlighted Isaiah 29:19: “The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.”
Elvis’ Christian faith played a key role in his life and was a focus of the 2022 film Elvis, which depicts him late in life demanding that TV executives allow him to sing gospel music during a special. He won a Grammy for a live performance of How Great Thou Art.
“It is well known that Elvis was an avid reader and a deeply spiritual man,” GWS Auctions said. “Of all of Elvis' Bibles sold over the years, this particular book has a truly touching story and fantastic provenance.”
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Keystone / Stringer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
