Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of his death on August 16th, the King of Rock & Roll’s famous Knabe White Baby Grand Piano will be up for sale on eBay, beginning Thursday, August 10th at 5:00pm PST and will end on Sunday, August 20th at 5:00pm PST. Fans can access the auction at www.ebay.com/elvispiano.
The historic piano has been played and recorded on by musical legends for almost a century, starting with Duke Ellington in the 1930’s. Upon purchasing it in 1957, Elvis had it refinished to his personal specifications, then kept it in his home where it was used frequently for personal practice, performances and jam sessions for years to come.
The sale is being conducted in conjunction with long-time eBay seller Drew Donen of Bang the Gavel. Drew has been working in the collectibles business since 1975 and founded Bang the Gavel in 1998. He has been the auctioneer at over a thousand charitable events and has helped raised millions of dollars for charities worldwide.
The piano comes with several original certified documents, confirming its history and authenticity. Experts estimate its value to be between $2.5 and $5 million, so it is expected to sell for record breaking numbers.
A portion of the proceeds from the piano will benefit the Starkey Hearing Foundation, providing hearing aids to children and people in need around the world.
“Elvis is arguably the most iconic musician in history, so we’re thrilled to make his piano available to our network of 171 million eBay users,” said Sam Bright, Senior Director of Art & Collectibles at eBay. “Connecting fans to rare items like the piano and donating a portion of the proceeds to charity is a great tribute to the King.”
Piano Through the Years
- 1930’s-50’s—The piano was originally used in Memphis’ Ellis Auditorium and was played by music legends including W.C. Handy, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Cab Calloway.
- 1957—Elvis discovers the piano and purchases it for his home in Memphis, Graceland, then has it refinished to his personal specifications.
- 1957-1969 – The piano stays at Elvis’ home and is used frequently for personal practice, performances and jam sessions. Elvis was photographed with the piano for several Memphis newspapers.
- 1969 – Priscilla gives Elvis a new gold-leafed piano and the white Knabe is put into storage.
- 1971 – Vernon Presley sells the piano to Sturges Recording Studio where it is used during the recordings of over 50 albums including Jerry Lee Lewis.
- 1981 – Jimmy Velvet buys the piano and displays it in his museum.
- 1990-Present – The piano is privately owned, serviced and maintained.
eBay & Elvis Presley sales on eBay (Globally):
- The most popular Elvis items sold on eBay since 2015 include: All Shook Up tickets, Elvis Presley in concert DVD, phots of Priscila Presley
- There are around average 350,000 daily live listings for Elvis Presley related products on eBay.
eBay & Elvis Presley sales on eBay (US):
- This year alone, Elvis items have been searched for on eBay over 537,000 times*
- There are currently over 141,000 live listings on eBay for Elvis items*
- The most popular Elvis items sold on eBay since 2015 include: *
- Tickets to the Elvis Presley Tribute show in Las Vegas
- Elvis Presley in Concert DVD
- Photos of Priscila Presley
- Loving You DVD movie starring Elvis Presley
*Data gathered from eBay sales of Elvis Presley merchandise between January 1, 2004 – July 10, 2017.