Offered is Elvis Presley's 1972 New Music Express (NME) "Top World Male Singer" trophy--one of the only awards outside of Graceland! The circumstances around the trophy ending up in a collector's hands are well documented. Elvis won the NME Reader's Poll award for "Top World Singer" and "Top World Personality" for nearly every year between 1958 and 1971. Since he never attended the award ceremonies in London, in 1971, the magazine sent a large loving cup trophy to Elvis commemorating all of his wins. That trophy still resides in Graceland (see photo at left)
After winning "Top World Male Singer" again in 1972 and 1973, NME drafted Todd Slaughter, President of The Official Elvis Presley Fan Club of Great Britain, to deliver the large trophy offered here to Elvis at a concert at the Las Vegas Hilton on September 2, 1973. The meeting backstage just prior to Elvis' second show that night. The moment is well-documented--see photos at left.
Earlier during that eventful month of shows at the Las Vegas Hilton on August 18, Elvis was attacked by four men during one of his concerts. Elvis defended himself thanks to his karate training, but several of the Hilton security staff, including Alexander Righetti, quickly assisted to quell the incident. At the end of that season's concerts, Righetti and his wife were Elvis' guests at a concert, and Elvis gave Righetti the offered trophy to say thank you for his assistance during the violent incident. (Righetti is just to Elvis' left in the photo with the Hilton security gurads at left.)
Righetti's accompanying 1995 letter reads:
My name is Alexander Righetti and I currently reside in Las Vegas, Nevada. From 1971 until 1975 I was a sergeant in security at the Las Vegas Hilton. Elvis Presley performed twice a year, in February and August each year (9 times) and each time I was a personal body guard to him. There was a group of 5 guards, of which I was one, and we were his favorite guards. In 1973 an incident occurred where Elvis was attacked on stage. This was written up in the newspapers, including an article by Ralph Pearl. Elvis was jumped by 4 men from Peru, who ran a pornography store in California; one had a sword hidden in a cane, one had his hands wrapped to beat Elvis. Elvis did a karate number on one of the men and knocked him off stage onto a table, while I grabbed another by the neck and dragged him off stage. Elvis was very grateful and gave me a gold ring. Later Elvis Presley gave me this silver cup 1972-1973 New Musical Express music poll award. Elvis invited me and my wife to sit ring-side and watch his performance, then invited us backstage. In addition to giving me a gold ring, he gave me a gold ring for my wife at the time. We went up to the thirtieth floor for a party, and Elvis gave each of the guards a TCB necklace. When that month's performances were over, he gave me the silver trophy. I have kept the silver trophy in my home all these years, and am now working at the Las Vegas Hilton again. I attest that all of the above is true.
We cannot overstate how unusual it is to see one of Elvis' awards outside of Graceland. Through further research, we were able to confirm the trophy's style matches another example from that year, the "Top British Band" trophy awarded to the band Slade. (see pictures at left.) The offered loving cup stands 22 inches tall and is 13 inches wide at the handles. A repair has been made to reattach the cup to the base at some point, and a small hole was made in the bottom of the base. Minor tarnish. Excellent condition.