GWS Auctions, whose owner was recently sued by Priscilla Presley, has been accused by Graceland of selling items that have questionable ties to Elvis
Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley. PHOTO: GETTY(2)
Just days after Priscilla Presley alleged that the owner of an auction house that sells memorabilia belonging to her ex-husband Elvis Presley was financially abusing her, the same auction house has come under fire for the authenticity of its items.
According to a new report from NBC News published on Friday, July 19, GWS Auctions, the auction house owned by Brigitte Kruse — one of four individuals named in Priscilla’s complaint, filed on Thursday, July 18 — has come under questioning by Graceland executives.
Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, told the outlet that he first became suspicious of the auction house’s items when he saw a black grommet jacket, supposedly worn by Elvis in 1972, go up for sale. However, Weinshanker said that the jacket — made as a one-of-a-kind item for the late singer — is hanging in Graceland’s private collection.
“We know there was only one made, and guess what? We have it in our archives,” Weinshanker told NBC News, who reported that they visited Elvis’ Memphis estate and were shown the jacket and its receipt.
Elvis Presley promoting the movie “Loving You.”. PHOTO
PARAMOUNT PICTURES/SUNSET BOULEVARD/CORBIS VIA GETTY
The jacket is just one of several items that Graceland has questions about. Other pieces of memorabilia which GWS Auctions has put up for sale include multiple pieces of Elvis’ jewelry and even his plane, a red 1962 Lockheed Jetstar, NBC News reported. Elvis’ estate told the outlet that Elvis never flew on the plane, and he only owned it for a few months.
According to Priscilla’s complaint filed earlier this week, Kruse and Elvis’ ex-wife developed a relationship over the years, and the auction house owner began to assist with Priscilla’s finances and act as her power of attorney. Per the filing, previously obtained by PEOPLE, the pair met through mutual connections to discuss Kruse’s business selling Elvis memorabilia. Kruse allegedly “quickly immersed herself” in Priscilla’s life, according to the complaint, and the two started working together near the end of 2021.
NBC News reported that many of the items sold by GWS Auctions were accompanied by letters written by Priscilla stating that they are authentic. However, Graceland executives grew concerned about these letters, as some of them accompanied items that would have been owned by Elvis after Priscilla and the musician split, such as a pair of gold “Aloha from Hawaii” snowman cufflinks. According to GWS Auctions, Elvis purchased the cufflinks in Hawaii to celebrate the success of his 1973 TV special Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii.
Elvis and Priscilla married in 1967 and divorced in 1972.
“If they hadn’t talked for months and months and months in person, how does she know what Elvis did and didn’t do?” Weinshanker told NBC News, referring to Priscilla.
Priscilla spoke to PEOPLE in September 2021 about working with GWS Auctions.
“I thought, ‘Why not be a part of it?’ ” she said at the time. “I used to have a different opinion about these estate sales, but then as I got older I realized that you have to pass these things down to someone who’ll really appreciate them.”
Kruse added of Priscilla at the time: “She’s just such a wealth of experience and knowledge. You don’t study and learn about Elvis without learning about Priscilla as well. Their names are synonymous.”
Priscilla Presley. PHOTO STEFANIA D’ALESSANDRO/WIREIMAGE
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Weinshanker told NBC News that because Elvis’ father, Vernon Presley, kept careful records of all of his son’s finances over the years, Graceland has an extremely good idea of all of the items he owned.
“Because he had some trouble with the law early on in his adult life, he kept everything, every receipt,” Weinshanker told the outlet, referring to Vernon. “You come to us and say, ‘What did [Elvis] do on this day in 1962?’ We pretty much know what he did just by how he spent money.”
However, Kruse told NBC News in a previous interview that although she acknowledged the family’s well-kept records, it’s unrealistic to believe that every single item the musician ever owned was documented.
“We weren’t there. None of us were there,” Kruse said in her previous interview. “So how can they without a doubt, unequivocally say, ‘We have everything?’ It’s an impossibility.”
“If her personal recollections aren’t worth anything, then whose are?” she added, referring to Priscilla’s endorsement of the items that Elvis allegedly owned when the pair were not together.
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Priscilla’s complaint filed earlier this week isn’t her first legal battle with Kruse. In 2023, Kruse sued Priscilla, accusing her of an alleged breach of contract after they formed Priscilla Presley Partners together.
Priscilla’s countersuit filed on Thursday alleges that Kruse and three associates conned her out of $1 million in a financial elder abuse scheme. Priscilla’s attorneys argue that while Kruse and her partners promised the 79-year-old that they could help take better care of her finances as well as better “exploit her name, image and likeness on her behalf,” the group actually manipulated and defrauded her.
PEOPLE attempted to contact Kruse through GWS Auctions, but she did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
