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Owner Interview | 1919 William Faulkner Handmade Poetry Book

Owner Interview | 1919 William Faulkner Handmade Poetry Book

Owner Interview | Robert Cumpston Sculpture, ca. 1985

Owner Interview | Robert Cumpston Sculpture, ca. 1985

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1956 Elvis Presley-signed Postcard

Value (2019) | $3,000 Auction – $7,500 Insurance
Watch  

GUEST:
My mother worked at a clothing store called Vogue here in town, and she was a secretary to the manager. Elvis was really big in 1956. Of course, that was the beginning of his career. And our local radio station, 55 KTSA, had a contest where you could win a, a date with Elvis when he came to San Antonio for a concert series. And you just had to write on a postcard why you deserved a date with Elvis. So, my mom wrote a poem. The people at the store kind of were rooting for her. She was friends with the man who painted the window signs and did the store displays. So, they had this idea where they would make a supersized poster postcard. He hand-painted this, complete with the post stamp and the address. And on the back is her poem. They hand-delivered it to the radio station. And it was so unusual, and the poem, I guess, connected with them, and she was selected. So, the Vogue store was very excited about it. And so they donated the dress and the outfits for her, and she went to, like, a press conference, and she got to sit backstage for two of the concerts that he played in town here. And he would wink at her from the stage, and she just felt just tickled.

APPRAISER:
Oh, that's so cute.

GUEST:
And then they went out for dinner as a group. I mean, it was a large group of people.

APPRAISER:
Right.

GUEST:
She wasn't, like, on a date with him and anything like that, but it was a really big moment in her life.

APPRAISER:
Not only is this an amazing piece of Elvis Presley memorabilia, it's also a piece of art, because, as you said, this is all hand-done.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
And what I love is the fact that he has signed it to her, and he signed it in ink, and the photo shows him signing. And can you read what it says? "To Marie, My very best to you. Love you, Elvis Presley." And, as you said, this was the start of Elvis's career.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
And he basically was on record as stating that he owed everything to Texas because this is the state that put his career over the top. He came to Texas three times in the, in 1956. The very first time he came, he was pretty much of a hellion, because he was young-- he was just getting famous. But by this time, by October '56, he had calmed down, and he was starting to do press junkets. He participated in this contest, and I'm sure that he was thrilled to get this poem that your mom wrote. There are a lot of Elvis autographs out there from 1956, from this tour. A lot of them are on photographs, a lot of them are on plain white paper. You can find them online for $45. But because you have the card, you have a picture of Elvis signing the card, at auction, conservatively, I would estimate this at $3,000 to $5,000.

GUEST:
Whoa.

APPRAISER:
Yes, yes. Your mom did good.

GUEST:
(laughs)

APPRAISER:
I mean, not only did she get to meet Elvis, but she left you an amazing legacy. And if you wanted to insure it, you should insure it for $7,500, because there's no way to get another one.

GUEST:
Wow.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Lisa Ramaci
Collectibles, Decorative Arts, Folk Art, Furniture
Lark Mason Associates
New York, NY
Appraised value (2019)
$3,000 Auction – $7,500 Insurance
Featured In
McNay Art Museum, Hour 2 (#2414)
Event
San Antonio, TX (April 27, 2019)
Category
Collectibles
Period
1950s
Form
Autograph , Poster

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

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More on This Appraisal

Close-up
Read the Poem That Won an Elvis Fan the Chance to Meet the King!
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