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* From the estate of Martin Poslick.
Offered are Elvis Presley's grand prix style "TCB" sunglasses with his initials "EP" in the bridge. The custom 14K white gold additions were made by Dennis Roberts of Optique Boutique in the mid-1970s. The glasses are marked "FRANCE TT" on one arm and "3711" on the other. The lenses have a light blue tint and the mild prescription Elvis used in 1975. The glasses were left behind in the car of his pilot after a stopover in Ft. Worth, Texas on the way to his August 1975 engagement at The Las Vegas Hilton. The pilot, Captain Martin Poslick, had flown to Memphis to take Elvis to Las Vegas, with a stop to check on the work being done on the plane that would become The Lisa Marie. During his stay in Fort Worth, which was only a few hours, Elvis and his party used the pilot's station wagon to get to and from a local hotel. Elvis was overheating and short of breath on the flight from Memphis to Ft. Worth, and the group decided to relax for a bit. After the group moved on to Las Vegas, in a different plane, the pilot found the sunglasses behind the backseat of his car. Elvis would go on to the Vegas engagement, but cancel all shows after only three days, citing health concerns. Captain Poslick's notarized affidavit is included and reads:
Ward International Aircraft Services, who specialized in aircraft paint and interior modification, had the contract to modify a Delta Airlines Convair 880 to Elvis Presley's personal jet, to be called the "[Lisa] Marie".
I worked for Ward International Aircraft, a sister company who was an aircraft sales company, as chief pilot and demonstration pilot. We sold Elvis Presley a Jet Commander, type AC1121, Tail no. 217AL. I provided pilot services while his crew was in training, making six to eight flight with Elvis on board.
On August 16, 1975, we departed Memphis for Elvis' Opening at the Las Vegas Hilton...with a stop in Fort Worth to check on the progress of the modification of the '[Lisa] Marie', before proceeding to Las Vegas.
At this time in his life, Elvis was having trouble losing weight and seemed to very apprehensive about the upcoming Las Vegas appearance. The aircraft has seven passenger seats and there were seven in his party. Just after take-off, he sent someone to the cockpit to ask for more cooling. As we climbed to altitude, the airplane was cooled to normal temperatures, but he kept asking for more air. He was sweating profusely, complaining of difficulty in breathing and feeling closed in. He said the airplane seemed too small and he was going to sell it. He never rode in it again and later sold it to Wayne Newton.
When we arrived in Fort Worth, we made arrangements for rooms at the Green Oaks Inn and he and some of his party used my company Ford station wagon for transportation to the inn. After several hours, he rented a larger twin jet to take him on to Las Vegas. The following day, I found the glasses behind the back seat of the station wagon.
Also included is a copy of the flight log for Captain Poslick showing the August 16, 1975, flight. Additionally, copies of Poslick from the period are shown here for reference. The sunglasses measures 6 x 2 1/2 inches and present with signs of moderate to heavy use, but present completely intact with no damage. Near Mint condition.