Sotheby’s to Sell US Civil Rights Leader’s Estate
Published June 24th, 2006
The estate of slain U.S. civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will soon be sold to the highest bidder. The auction house handling the sale hopes a major institution will step up to house this American archive.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the former leader of the American civil rights movement, influenced generations of people around the world. Many of the manuscripts and books that shaped this legacy were passed down to his family after he was assassinated in 1968. The auction house Sotheby’s is offering the collection at the end of June.
Dr. King’s widow Coretta Scott King, who died months ago, had earlier tried to sell the collection to the U.S. Library of Congress for $20 million, but the deal fell through over concerns about cost and copyright.
David Redden is vice chairman of the auction house Sotheby’s, which hopes to sell the collection to a major public institution for between $15 million to $30 million.
The auction takes place June 30
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