Selling Baubles From The King Tokens Of Elvis' Affection Bring $83,000 At Auction.

A gold T.L.C. pendant (as in Tender Loving Care), rent by a jagged lightning bolt. A $20 U.S. gold coin framed by an exploding sunburst of textured gold. A 21-chip diamond "LOVE" pin.

Not your usual offering at Christie's New York sale of "Important Jewels." But then, not always does an ex-girlfriend of Elvis Presley's unload her Gracelandish loot at public auction.

Yesterday, at Christie's Park Avenue salesroom, dowagers and die-hard Elvis fans collided:

The former came to bid on fine gems, art deco diamond bracelets and precious jewels at estimates up to $550,000. These were listed in the catalogue under such headings as: "The property of a gentleman" or "The property of a lady of title."

The latter came to bid on 34 pieces of jewelry discreetly listed as "A Collection of Jewelry Given by Elvis Presley to the present owner." These bequests from the King to his once and former queen were estimated to bring anywhere from $50 for a silver leaf pendant (purchased in Las Vegas) to $20,000 for a spiral diamond cocktail ring (a peace offering after a spat).

This diamond swirl did not sell, but Christie's did exceed its total estimated take of $50,000, toting up $83,000. The leaf pendant that had been estimated at $50 to $100 brought $2,090. The biggest sales, at $5,280 each, were a black onyx-diamond-gold choker and a diamond-ruby-gold honeybee brooch.

The Elvis trove was not rare or unique, but was consigned to auction by Christie's solely because of its Presley provenance. "Otherwise," said jewelry expert Francois Curiel, "they would not be at an auction at Christie's Park Avenue."

These tokens of Elvis' affection were lavished on Linda Thompson, beauty queen and Elvis live-in who went on to become a regular on Hee Haw. Thompson, Miss Tennessee in the 1972 Miss Universe contest, resided with Elvis at Graceland during his four-year slide toward untimely death in 1976.

According to Albert Goldman's more-than-you-ever-wanted-to-know bio, Elvis called Thompson "mommy," and she called him "baby buntin'." Their romance was the subject of a made-for-TV movie, Elvis and the Beauty Queen (1981), starring Don Johnson and Stephanie Zimbalist.

In 1981, Thompson married Olympic decathlon gold medalist and TV athlete Bruce Jenner. She will not say why she's disposing of her ex-lover's gifts. Nor is it known if there were any Elvis mementos she couldn't bear to sell. Those souls of discretion at Christie's aren't telling, either.

The Elvis jewelry is "commercial, but of good quality," says the tactful Curiel. "It is not cheap hollow gold. The stones are of good quality."

The collection, he added, "has no special period - the '60s and '70s - there was plenty made."

Normally, if Christie's did auction off such common goods, it would lump the jewelry all together and sell it "by weight, in two or three lots."