On this day in 1958, Elvis Aaron Presley was inducted into the US Army as a private at Fort Chaffee, near Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Although Presley was likely the only draftee present to have the occasion witnessed by hundreds of onlookers and press photographers...
"The Army can do anything it wants with me," said the King at the time, announcing that he was looking forward to his military service.
Among the many procedures photographed was something each new recruit had to go through: the standard issue military buzz-cut.
And, half a century later, each of those hairs could be worth over £1,000. Celebrity hair clippings have become big business, and certainly worthy of investment.
 Elvis Aaron Presley (1935-1977) |
Over the years we have sold clippings from the heads of Charles Dickens - three strands of which are still on the market - George Washington, Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
Last year, a single strand Elvis's hair sold for £1,055 (approximately $1,750) against an estimate of just £250 ($420) at Henry Aldridge & Son's auction in Wiltshire.
Meanwhile, Paul Fraser Collectibles' unmissable $10,000 free prize draw is offering all subscribers to our newsletter the opportunity to own one of three exclusive prizes.
They are: a rare British PUC £1 stamp valued at £1,000 ($1,500); a portfolio of Autographs valued at £5,000 ($7,500); or... a single strand of hair from the head of Elvis Presley worth £1,000 ($1,500).
Alternatively, two photographs of Elvis - one smiling and one brooding - bearing his autograph are each available on the market for collectors on the look-out for more traditional memorabilia.
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