Auction of celebrity-related items to include Elvis’ car

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Elvis Presley’s Cadillac station wagon, Steve McQueen’s old truck and prescription sunglasses worn by John Lennon are among hundreds of items once owned by celebrities that are scheduled to be auctioned in California next month.

A spokesman for the Mecum Auction Company said Wednesday it will be displaying and auctioning about 2,000 pieces of celebrity-related memorabilia July 26 and 27 in Santa Monica, Calif.

According to Mecum, which specializes in the sale of collector cars, one of the auction’s highlights will be Elvis’ 1972 Cadillac Custom Estate Wagon. The King owned the car from 1972 until his death in 1977, according to Mecum’s website.

The car was kept in the Las Vegas home of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager, and then at the Las Vegas Hilton. It was later sent to Graceland, Elvis’ longtime Memphis home, before being auctioned off with other Elvis possessions in 1999, according to Mecum.

Elvis’ Cadillac is among several vehicles being auctioned, including a 1969 Chevrolet C/10 Baja race truck and two motorcycles owned by McQueen, a motorcycle owned by Dennis Hopper, and cars that belonged to Frank Sinatra, Ringo Starr and Bette Davis.

Other Elvis-related items included in the auction are his Army induction and discharge papers and rare photos.

The auction will feature other unique pieces of pop culture history, such as Lennon’s 1970s aviator-style prescription sunglasses with black plastic frames and amber-tinted lenses.

The glasses were consigned by May Pang, Lennon’s former personal assistant, who will be in attendance for the auction to authenticate the item, according to Mecum.

Also on the auction block are items from the collection of John Hagner, curator of the Hollywood Stuntman’s Hall of Fame. His collection includes a 1944 Captain America costume, and a whip used by the main character in the film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”

Items with ties to John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Nicholson, Roy Rogers, Hunter S. Thompson, Jimmy Stewart, Burt Reynolds and Gene Kelly also will be auctioned, according to Mecum.

Select items will be available online for silent auction beginning July 5 at www.mecum.com.