A Hagstrom Viking II electric guitar, used by Elvis Presley during his legendary 1968 televised 'comeback special,' has sold at auction for $625,000.
Once owned by Al Casey, a member of Presley's band for the special, the guitar – which was sold by GWS as part of its "Artifacts of Hollywood & Music" auction – had initially been given a starting bid of $250,000.
Presley used the guitar – which previously featured in an exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – during the opening segment and one of the live "stand-up" portions of the 1968 show, which marked his return to the stage after focusing exclusively on films for all of the 1960s up to that point. Presley can also be seen with the guitar on the cover of his 1969 album, From Elvis in Memphis.
In a letter that accompanied the Hagstrom, Casey wrote that the special's producers asked him to let Presley use the guitar because they "thought it would look beautiful on camera and with the set."
That notarized letter from Casey, a second letter from Casey, a notarized statement from Hal Blaine (who was Presley's drummer for the performance), and a letter from the show’s music producer, Bones Howe, also came with the guitar.
It was also sold with loan paperwork from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and a number of photographs of Presley taken during the filming of the performance.
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