King of Cards

When dueling Elvis postage stamps caused a national feeding frenzy last spring, Dan Shedrick, CEO of the River Group, decided that the time was right for a new set of Elvis trading cards. ''In America you've got apple pie, you've got baseball, and you've got Elvis,'' Shedrick sums up. He intends to market the cards in 250,000 retail outlets and pump $3.5 million into ads for a projected gross of more than $100 million.

The Presley estate has sanctioned Shedrick to produce a collection of 660 cards to be released in increments of 220 (the first set came out this month, the second is due in January 1993, and the third in March). Each pack contains 12 cards and retails for $1.49. Included in the new collection: Elvis' early years, the Vegas days, his cars, his movies, and moments from his personal life. About the only details not included are the King's abductions by aliens, his doctor's prescription pad, and his cholesterol count.

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