Children fight in court over sale of his bible worth $200k

Reports say a bitter lawsuit is unravelling in court over the rights to Martin Luther King Jr's Bible and Nobel Peace Prize medal.

It was gathered that King's sons Martin Luther King III and Dexter Scott King – run his estate, and want to sell the relics to a private buyer, the Bible could fetch between $200,000 and $1million, while the medal could go for more than $10million.

However, King's daughter, Bernice who controls her mother's estate, opposes the sale saying that her father gave his wife the medal to his wife as a gift and therefore belongs to her

According to the Associated Press, Bernice gave an address in February at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where her father and grandfather both preached, in which she argued that the Bible and medal were cherished possessions of her father and "speak to the very core of who he was".

She stated that profiting from the sale of the medal would be "spiritually violent" and "outright morally reprehensible".

"These items should never be sold to any person, as I say it, or any institution, because they're sacred," Bernice told a news conference. "I take this strong position for my father because Daddy is not here to say himself my Bible and medals are never to be sold."

Joseph Lowery, another key civil rights leader who marched with King, told African American news website theGrio last year that he supported Bernice's decision.

"I don't even want to admit there's a discussion about putting those items on the market," he said.

"They are sacred items, not only are they sacred to the family but they're sacred to the community. They represent Martin's life work and commitment to justice and serving God."

A reverend, Timothy McDonald - who was an assistant pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church between 1978 and 1984 told newsmen: "You don't sell Bibles and you don't get but one Nobel peace prize. There are some items that you just don't put a price on."

As the lawsuit continues – the latest in a string between the warring siblings –the items are being held in a safe deposit box by a judge until the dispute is settled. A hearing is scheduled on January 13, but the case will go to trial if a decision is not made then.

Martin Luther King was dedicated pastor, humanitarian and leader in the Civil Rights Movement, he was assassinated in 1968.

His Bible was last used by Barack Obama during his swearing in for a second term.