However, vintage Presley memorabilia is a different story. Items that say 'Graceland' on them are basically just souvenirs. Only a tiny portion of pieces made since Presley's death will ever become valuable. Buy such recent offbeat items just for fun, not as collectibles. Plenty of pure junk commemorating Presley has been churned out. While Alaniz said he could easily name 10 people who would pay $1,000 for a mint copy of Presley's first album, he doesn't believe inflated values touted by many collectors for assorted Elvis plates, decanters and whiskey bottles really hold up. Admission is $1.50, with a five-day pass at $5. 11-15 at the Ramada Inn, Southwest Airport, Memphis, Tenn. He's also organizer of the 'Elvis for Everyone Convention '94' for fans and collectors, which runs Aug. 16, 1977, will bring a much higher dollar value than anything made after his death,' advised Robert Alaniz, owner of the Soundz Good Records mail order business, P.O. 'Any memorabilia related to Elvis before he died on Aug. The year in which an item was made is crucial to its value. Menus from the Nevada Hotel in Las Vegas that portray Presley's 1969 performances there zoomed from $100 to $600 in the past four years. For example, a 1956 autograph book manufactured by Elvis Presley Enterprises, primary licenser of such products, has increased in value from $350 to $600 in the past four years, while a 1957 Topps bubble gum card of Presley rose from $30 to $35. Virtually every nonrecorded item, junk or not, that was produced before Presley died is prized and valuable, even if it's just a balloon or illustrated T-shirt. These originally cost $30 and now bring $300. More recently, the limited edition 1992 Collector's Gold compact disc album was also issued in a small number of vinyl records. Copies of vinyl LP records that originally cost $4.99 now sell for $150 to $200 in mint condition or still sealed. The primary Elvis collectible is still his records, Osborne noted. 98368), author of The Official Price Guide to Elvis Presley Records and Memorabilia' to be released this fall by House of Collectibles in New York. 'In the 17 years since Elvis Presley died, value of his memorabilia has more than doubled and there's never really been a period in which the bottom has really fallen out of the market,' said Jerry Osborne (P.O. Unautographed early stage performance photos of Elvis, which Gates had estimated would bring $10 to $20 apiece, sold at the auction for $100 to $400. There have been price gains in some less expensive examples. 'We also sold Elvis Presley lipstick in 'Hound Dog Orange' for $325 and 'Love Me Tender Pink' for $250, both made in the 1950s by Elvis Presley Enterprises and featuring his engraved signature,' said Katherine Gates, director of the collectibles and entertainment memorabilia department of San Francisco-based Butterfield & Butterfield.

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