White has about 15 or 20 pieces from the era that he collected during his years as a student at Ole Miss. When he has had an item for long enough, he usually sells it or trades it for something else he wants.

"You're either a philanthropist or you're buying to collect," White said. "I'm a collector."

For others, Brown said, the thrill is in the chase, and sales to private owners don't always mean such documents are lost to the public.

"Somebody can purchase it and then donate it and everybody wins," Brown said.

Andrew Young, who worked alongside King at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, has urged his friends in the civil rights movement to bypass the private sector and donate their documents.

For his part, he said he gave his papers to the Auburn Avenue Research Library and The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change even before he knew their potential value.

"We've got a priceless heritage hidden away in trunks and suitcases and boxes," Young said. "I would just like to see them all come together. Then we will be able to understand what a great period in American history this has been."

The national interest in the civil rights movement is not expected to wane any time soon. Museums dedicated to civil rights are in Memphis, Birmingham and Greensboro, N.C., and plans are under way for a King memorial on the National Mall and a new Smithsonian Institute museum dedicated to black history and culture.

If the past three months are any indication, there are plenty of people yet to come forward, Brown said.

"There's an amazing amount of historical pieces out there," he said. "The treasure hunt is still on."

On the Net:

Gallery 63: http://www.gallery63.net

- Associated Press


© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com