OFF BEAT: Fans fight for a hunka hunka Elvis memorabilia

Thirty-five years after his death, there’s still scrambling going on over Elvis’ effects.

But the stakes are high, at $218,000, according to news reports. That’s the amount raised from a group of collectors’ items that allegedly belonged to the Elvis Presley’s friend and fan club president, Sterling Gary Pepper.

Mr. Pepper’s heirs, John Tate and Norma Deeble, filed suit in 2009 on behalf of their late cousin, charging Mr. Pepper’s former caretaker, Nancy Pease Whitehead, stole the collection.

An Iowa district court refused to block the auction, stating the relatives had waited too long to file the case. But on Tuesday, after an appeal, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis sent the case back for trial to determine who is entitled to the funds. The money stays in escrow.

As to the items sold, an Elvis-worn red suede shirt sold for $28,000, a clump of hair cut off when he went into the Army fetched $15,000 and two dried white roses from his funeral raised $1,400.

No blue suede shoes, though. And Elvis was not spotted leaving the auction.