Description
Very rare 1000 Mark Reichsbanknote issued April 21, 1910, 7.25 x 4.25, signed on the front in blue ballpoint by Elvis Presley. In fine condition, with some small stains in the bottom border. Accompanied by a letter of provenance from a prior owner, in part: "This Imperial German Reichsbanknote…was signed by Elvis Presley during his stint in the Army. It was obtained by an elderly gentleman who lived close to Elvis' home in Bad Nauheim, Hesse in either 1958 or '59. To my knowledge the gentleman wasn't in search of Presley but came across him by chance. The only thing that he had on him for Elvis to sign was an old issue 1000 mark note that he kept folded in his wallet as a lucky keepsake."
Presley was one of the most well-known entertainers in the world at the time he was drafted into the US Army, and he served as a regular soldier from March 1958 to March 1960. He was first sent to Texas for training at Fort Hood before being assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany. This had a profound effect on his life and career—while in Germany he met his future wife Priscilla, was introduced to amphetamines, and as a result of his generous patriotic service, earned the respect of an older generation of Americans, many of whom had previously viewed him in a negative light. A decidedly uncommon keepsake from Presley's military career, and the first example of Elvis-signed currency that we have offered.
Terms and abbreviations used in our descriptions.
|
