Estelle Getty's Emmy winds up on eBay

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences says it wants eBay to remove an offer to auction the Emmy presented to the late U.S. television actress Estelle Getty.

Getty, who died in July 2008 at age 84, won the Emmy for her performance as Sophia on "The Golden Girls" in 1988.

John Leverence, senior vice president of awards, told the New York Post the academy has that demanded eBay remove the statuette from its digital auction block because selling it violates academy rules.

"It's a situation in which the award is not meant to be monetized," Leverence said.

"The value of the award is in the recognition by your peers," he added. "That intangible value is priceless; to monetize the award by selling it ... is just not something the academy wants to see happen."

The seller is a Los Angeles art dealer, the report said. The initial asking price was $15,000, Daily Variety reported.