For the first time in history, a Nobel Prize medal won by a living recipient will be put up for sale. James Watson, the Nobel Prize winner for his co-discovery of the double helix structure in 1962, has recently announced that his medal for the said accomplishment will be auctioned on December 4. If sold, the item is expected to bring in roughly $2.5 million to $3.5 million.
The item will be auctioned off by Christie's New York alongside other valuable possessions of Watson. The items, which have been described by Christie's as "unique papers" that could provide "intimate insights into the creative mind of Dr. Watson, include his handwritten notes for his 1962 Nobel Prize acceptance speech banquet ceremony held in Stockholm and his manuscript for the Nobel Lecture he delivered. The handwritten speech is estimated to be bought at around $300,000 to $400,000 while the manuscript is projected to be sold at $200,000 to $300,000.
Christie's auction house also described the works of Dr. Watson to be comparable with the achievements of "Newton, Darwin and Einstein, (and his) unyielding quest for knowledge led to discoveries that forever altered human history."
Dr. Watson, who won the Nobel Prize with colleagues Dr. Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, intends to donate some of the auction proceeds to various academic institutions and charitable organizations. The Nobel Prize winner said that he wants to use a portion of the money to endow funding to the universities and scientific organizations that have help boost his career. Some of the institutions he plans to provide financial assistance to include the Clare College Cambridge, University of Chicago, Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the Long Island Land Trust.
"I look forward to making further philanthropic gifts to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the University of Chicago, and Clare College Cambridge," Dr. Watson shared. In addition, the famed DNA pioneer imparted his desire to "continue to do my part in keeping the academic world an environment where great ideas and decency prevail."
Throughout his life, Dr. Watson had been a major influence in the field of scientific discoveries. He has been well-known for his untiring diligence to share his knowledge as evidenced by the many books published under his name. In 1965, Dr. Watson wrote the first ever textbook discussing DNA science entitled 'Molecular Biology of the Gene.' In 1968, he published his memoir called 'The Double Helix.' Both has been hailed as highly popular science books ever published.
