Television Academy blocks sale of Whitney Houston's 1986 Emmy Award

Bosses at the Television Academy in the US have won their bid to block the sale of Whitney Houston's Emmy Award at auction.

The Emmy officials claimed the statuette is a loan to recipients and not a gift, adding rules state the trophy should be given back to the Academy upon a winner's death.

Houston died in 2012 and her heirs were hoping to cash in on the prize as part of an estate sale of her costumes and keepsakes at Heritage Auctions.

The Emmy the late singer picked up in 1986 for her performance of 'Saving All My Love for You' at the Grammys already had a bid at US $10,000 on the auction house's website when company bosses were told to pull the item from sale by a federal judge who shut down the sale on June 24.

Heritage bosses insist they will respect the court's decision and the Emmy will be returned to the Houston family.