Elvis Presley’s worn, gold-stamped and dog-eared Bible is expected to be sold at auction Saturday in California if a minimum bid of $37,500 can be reached.

The Bible is one of three Presley had on his nightstand at his Graceland mansion in Tennessee the night he died in August 1977. The volume has “Elvis Aaron Presley” embossed in gold on the cover in capital letters. 

“Shortly after Elvis’ passing, my uncle Vernon (Elvis’ dad) and I went up into Elvis’ bedroom at Graceland to organize and pack many of his personal belongings,” Patsy Presley, his cousin, wrote in a note that accompanies the volume, according to Kruse GWS Auctions. “This Holy Bible was one of three that Elvis had on his night table. After packing them, Uncle Vernon had me take them home for safekeeping and eventually gave them to me,” she said.

The Washington Times has contacted the auction firm for comment.

According to the auction firm’s listing for the item, illustrated with pages from the Bible, the singer underlined numerous passages in the book, including Job 31:24-26, “If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; If I rejoiced because my wealth was great and because mine hand has gotten much; If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness.”

Presley’s interest in religion is well known. He recorded numerous gospel songs, sang with noted Christian musicians of his day and wore a cross, a Star of David and a “Chai,” the Hebrew letters for “life,” around his neck.

But one rumor about Presley’s interest in religious texts proved untrue. Claims that the singer read and annotated a softcover copy of the Book of Mormon, a text sacred to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were debunked by a church historian who wrote in a denominational newspaper that the copy represented as belonging to Presley “ain’t nothin’ but a forgery.”

• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.