Auction for thief's Elvis collection

BAMFORD, England, June 9 (UPI) -- The collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia assembled by a British government worker is to be used to repay the money she stole to buy it.

But an expert told The Telegraph that Julie Wall paid way too much for many of the items. That means the auction Sunday is unlikely to come close to reimbursing the North Kesteven District Council in Lincolnshire, which lost $1 million in parking fees.

"It is clear that she paid way over the odds for a lot of stuff," said James Lewis, who will be conducting the auction. "She wasn't a discerning buyer and had no idea of the value of things."

Walls had the largest Elvis collection in Britain with copies of his records from around the world, theatrical posters, a Russian nested Elvis doll and a sheaf of tickets for a New York concert scheduled for three days after the singer's death. Some of the items could go for hundreds of dollars but Lewis expects the entire take to be $100,000.

Walls is serving a three-year prison term. She was responsible for counting the cash from council parking lots and, over a decade, would simply keep a few dollars for herself each time.