Nobel Prize Medals
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Northern Europe Russia Medicine Nobel in medicine Physics
Chronology : 21st century 2020 to now 2021
See also : Northern Europe Russia Medicine Nobel in medicine Physics
Chronology : 21st century 2020 to now 2021
1962 Physiology or Medicine
Intro
The birth of molecular biology is the result of a multidisciplinary cooperation between chemists, physicists and biologists. The existence of nucleic acids in the cell nuclei had been identified in the nineteenth century. From 1939, advances in micro-radiography X gave hope to understand the structure of these molecules.
Scientists had identified two types of acids, RNA (ribonucleic acid) in the cytoplasm of the cell and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in the chromosomes. They appreciated that these acids held the key to the functioning of life.
Two British laboratories of crystallography worked collaboratively. Francis Crick, assisted by the young US doctor James D. Watson, was at Cambridge. In London, Maurice Wilkins was assisted by Rosalind Franklin who perfected the techniques of observation and realized the radiograms. The untimely cancer of Rosalind Franklin is probably due to an excess of radiation dose.
The single helix of RNA structure and the two strands of DNA were among the first discoveries. In 1953, Watson understood that the shapes of the elements of the two DNA strands were identical although these elements were different. Crick and Watson immediately developed the model of the double helix, which was the biggest breakthrough of all time in the field of life sciences.
Both strands of the helix are connected by regularly spaced links which are always constituted by a pair of chains in two couples of possibilities. When the strands are disjoined, the helix is restructured with organic matter for the creation of the second strand of a new double helix with the same genetic message as the original DNA molecule. Before Crick and Watson, no geometer, no artist had imagined this compact and steady structure.
Crick and Watson knew immediately that they had found the secret of the transmission of information in biological material. With this key, molecular biology soon became a major science, leading to understand cell differentiation and biodiversity.
The letter written by Crick to his young son on the importance of the discovery was sold for $ 6.05M by Christie's in 2013.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to Crick, Watson and Wilkins in 1962.
Scientists had identified two types of acids, RNA (ribonucleic acid) in the cytoplasm of the cell and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in the chromosomes. They appreciated that these acids held the key to the functioning of life.
Two British laboratories of crystallography worked collaboratively. Francis Crick, assisted by the young US doctor James D. Watson, was at Cambridge. In London, Maurice Wilkins was assisted by Rosalind Franklin who perfected the techniques of observation and realized the radiograms. The untimely cancer of Rosalind Franklin is probably due to an excess of radiation dose.
The single helix of RNA structure and the two strands of DNA were among the first discoveries. In 1953, Watson understood that the shapes of the elements of the two DNA strands were identical although these elements were different. Crick and Watson immediately developed the model of the double helix, which was the biggest breakthrough of all time in the field of life sciences.
Both strands of the helix are connected by regularly spaced links which are always constituted by a pair of chains in two couples of possibilities. When the strands are disjoined, the helix is restructured with organic matter for the creation of the second strand of a new double helix with the same genetic message as the original DNA molecule. Before Crick and Watson, no geometer, no artist had imagined this compact and steady structure.
Crick and Watson knew immediately that they had found the secret of the transmission of information in biological material. With this key, molecular biology soon became a major science, leading to understand cell differentiation and biodiversity.
The letter written by Crick to his young son on the importance of the discovery was sold for $ 6.05M by Christie's in 2013.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to Crick, Watson and Wilkins in 1962.
1
James Watson
2014 SOLD for $ 4.8M by Christie's
The 86 year old Watson entrusted Christie's to sell his Nobel memories, offered in three lots on December 4, 2014. The Nobel medal was sold for $ 4.8M from a lower estimate of $ 2.5M, lot 1. His handwritten notes for the acceptance speech was sold for $ 365K, lot 2.
The manuscript of his Nobel lecture on the role of RNA in protein synthesis was sold for $ 245K, lot 3. Less than ten years after the discovery of the double helix, this theme highlighted the fact that the physicochemical mechanisms of life were already fully explained.
A portion of the proceeds from the sales were donated by Dr. Watson to the benefit of scientific research and charities.
The manuscript of his Nobel lecture on the role of RNA in protein synthesis was sold for $ 245K, lot 3. Less than ten years after the discovery of the double helix, this theme highlighted the fact that the physicochemical mechanisms of life were already fully explained.
A portion of the proceeds from the sales were donated by Dr. Watson to the benefit of scientific research and charities.
2
Francis Crick
2013 SOLD for $ 2.27M by Heritage
The Nobel gold medal and diploma awarded to Francis HC Crick were sold for $ 2.27M from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Heritage on April 11, 2013, lot 34001.
1963 Alan Hodgkin in Physiology or Medicine
2015 SOLD for $ 800K by Nate D Sanders
The knowledge of the physico-chemical functioning of life made its breakthroughs in the mid-twentieth century helped of course by the X-rays but also by the improvement of electricity and electronics.
Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley are biophysicists and more exactly electrophysiologists. The new technique of the voltage clamp allows them to measure the electric signal across the membrane of a nerve cell.
The sciatic nerve of the frog did not allow measurements in a sufficient accuracy. Working in association with the marine biology laboratory of Plymouth in England, they use in their experiments the largest known axon in the animal reign, measuring 1 mm in diameter, used by the squid to elicit a quick reaction to a threat.
The two researchers can then model the electrical behavior of the neuron. This fruitful advance will have a considerable impact on the knowledge and healing of several nerve diseases and will enable to raise a model of the transmission of nerve inputs to the muscular system. The existence of ion channels in cell membranes will be confirmed by others much later, completing the description of the nervous cell.
Hodgkin and Huxley shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with John Eccles. The Nobel medal awarded to Hodgkin was sold for $ 800K by Nate D Sanders on October 29, 2015, lot 1. It was accompanied by various documents including a copy of the scientific publication associated with the prize.
Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley are biophysicists and more exactly electrophysiologists. The new technique of the voltage clamp allows them to measure the electric signal across the membrane of a nerve cell.
The sciatic nerve of the frog did not allow measurements in a sufficient accuracy. Working in association with the marine biology laboratory of Plymouth in England, they use in their experiments the largest known axon in the animal reign, measuring 1 mm in diameter, used by the squid to elicit a quick reaction to a threat.
The two researchers can then model the electrical behavior of the neuron. This fruitful advance will have a considerable impact on the knowledge and healing of several nerve diseases and will enable to raise a model of the transmission of nerve inputs to the muscular system. The existence of ion channels in cell membranes will be confirmed by others much later, completing the description of the nervous cell.
Hodgkin and Huxley shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with John Eccles. The Nobel medal awarded to Hodgkin was sold for $ 800K by Nate D Sanders on October 29, 2015, lot 1. It was accompanied by various documents including a copy of the scientific publication associated with the prize.
1965 Richard Feynman in Physics
2018 SOLD for $ 975K by Sotheby's
Richard Feynman's thinking was original and effective. Reading a commentary by Dirac about the lack of understanding in the theory of quantum electromagnetism, he decides to always rely only on himself for his research while adding a playful dimension. The title of one of his books of reminiscences, Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman !, is significant.
Feynman's method was to use geometry and diagrams rather than developments in mathematical formulas. Highly motivated to share his knowledge, he was the best professor and lecturer in atomic physics, ensuring that his explanations were always clear.
His contributions in theoretical physics are numerous. He solved Dirac's problem by imagining the quantum mechanism of charged particles in rotation, for which he shared in 1965 the Nobel Prize in Physics with Tomonaga and Schwinger. He also made fundamental advances in the model of the helium superfluidity and in the theory of quarks. He was also a visionary, encouraging as early as 1959 the development of nanotechnologies.
On November 30, 2018, Sotheby's dispersed Richard Feynman's research library, including autograph drafts of several lectures. The lot 67, sold for $ 975K, was made of his Nobel medal and diploma along with two documents used during the ceremony.
Feynman's method was to use geometry and diagrams rather than developments in mathematical formulas. Highly motivated to share his knowledge, he was the best professor and lecturer in atomic physics, ensuring that his explanations were always clear.
His contributions in theoretical physics are numerous. He solved Dirac's problem by imagining the quantum mechanism of charged particles in rotation, for which he shared in 1965 the Nobel Prize in Physics with Tomonaga and Schwinger. He also made fundamental advances in the model of the helium superfluidity and in the theory of quarks. He was also a visionary, encouraging as early as 1959 the development of nanotechnologies.
On November 30, 2018, Sotheby's dispersed Richard Feynman's research library, including autograph drafts of several lectures. The lot 67, sold for $ 975K, was made of his Nobel medal and diploma along with two documents used during the ceremony.
1969 Murray Gell-Mann in Physics
2021 SOLD for $ 625K by Sotheby's
Murray Gell-Mann was a child prodigy, nicknamed the "Walking encyclopaedia" in his youth. He went throughout his career to define and classify the most basic components of the atomic nucleus, at a deeper level than protons and neutrons.
His researches belong to the quantum physics. Beside the gravitation, the electromagnetism and the strong interaction, the most elusive is the weak interaction also known as weak nuclear force, responsible for the radioactive decay of the atoms. Gell-Mann proposed a new excitation quantum, the strangeness, for explaining a discorrelation between mass and decay rate in some radioactive reactions.
The strangeness led to his proposal for a deeper layer system of particles which went to a triumph
in 1964 when the discovery of one of them by a team at Brookhaven confirmed his theory. He was 35 years old. He was then fully legitimized to describe the nucleus as made of quarks, antiquarks and of the agents of the strong interaction, the gluons.
These successful theories dominate the post war physics, in a further step from the Manhattan project. He was the sole recipient of the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physics. His Nobel medal was sold for $ 625K by Sotheby's on April 28, 2021, lot 81.
His researches belong to the quantum physics. Beside the gravitation, the electromagnetism and the strong interaction, the most elusive is the weak interaction also known as weak nuclear force, responsible for the radioactive decay of the atoms. Gell-Mann proposed a new excitation quantum, the strangeness, for explaining a discorrelation between mass and decay rate in some radioactive reactions.
The strangeness led to his proposal for a deeper layer system of particles which went to a triumph
in 1964 when the discovery of one of them by a team at Brookhaven confirmed his theory. He was 35 years old. He was then fully legitimized to describe the nucleus as made of quarks, antiquarks and of the agents of the strong interaction, the gluons.
These successful theories dominate the post war physics, in a further step from the Manhattan project. He was the sole recipient of the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physics. His Nobel medal was sold for $ 625K by Sotheby's on April 28, 2021, lot 81.
1974 Friedrich von Hayek in Economic Science
2019 SOLD for £ 1.15M by Sotheby's
The Prize in Economic Science in Memory of Alfred Nobel was first awarded in 1969. This initiative of the Bank of Sweden, imitating the five prizes from Alfred Nobel's will, immediately aroused some reluctance. The Nobel family reminded the opinion of the original sponsor about the incompatibility of society's well-being with any notion of profit.
In 1974 the Prize is awarded jointly to Friedrich von Hayek and Gunnar Myrdal "for their pioneering work in the theory of money and economic fluctuations and for their penetrating analysis of the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena".
By rewarding with the same quotation two thinkers whose institutional proposals were diametrically opposed, the Nobel committee had achieved an indisputable intellectual feat while generating an additional risk on its own credibility.
The neo-liberal von Hayek demanded the State interventions to be minimized. Investments that bring social progress must come from unconstrained individual savings. A redistribution of wealth by the state inevitably brings power to greedy groups that create delusion through their demagogy. Collectivism thus leads to the loss of the individual freedoms.
Von Hayek delivers his speech at the Nobel banquet on December 10, 1974. After a brief acknowledgement, he expresses clearly but courteously that such a Prize should not exist. Rewarding a conceptual work and not a rigorous scientific achievement, it offers a temptation for its own laureates to intervene outside their field of competence.
Von Hayek thus somehow joined the doubts of the Nobel family on the new Prize. In his political conceptions, the economists are the technicians who manage the relations between judiciary and government in a regime where laws must be stabilized for avoiding to slow down the investment initiatives.
In contrast, Myrdal wants the protection of individuals by a welfare state. Later he will also advocate the abolition of the Prize, with the argument that its attribution to von Hayek was encouraging the reactionaries.
A few years later the fall of the Soviet regime will be an illustration of the non-Keynesian model of von Hayek. Liberalism will come back in the Western democracies with Reagan and Thatcher.
On March 19, 2019, Sotheby's sold for £ 1.15M from a lower estimate of 400K the Nobel Prize medal and diploma awarded to von Hayek, lot 27.
In 1974 the Prize is awarded jointly to Friedrich von Hayek and Gunnar Myrdal "for their pioneering work in the theory of money and economic fluctuations and for their penetrating analysis of the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena".
By rewarding with the same quotation two thinkers whose institutional proposals were diametrically opposed, the Nobel committee had achieved an indisputable intellectual feat while generating an additional risk on its own credibility.
The neo-liberal von Hayek demanded the State interventions to be minimized. Investments that bring social progress must come from unconstrained individual savings. A redistribution of wealth by the state inevitably brings power to greedy groups that create delusion through their demagogy. Collectivism thus leads to the loss of the individual freedoms.
Von Hayek delivers his speech at the Nobel banquet on December 10, 1974. After a brief acknowledgement, he expresses clearly but courteously that such a Prize should not exist. Rewarding a conceptual work and not a rigorous scientific achievement, it offers a temptation for its own laureates to intervene outside their field of competence.
Von Hayek thus somehow joined the doubts of the Nobel family on the new Prize. In his political conceptions, the economists are the technicians who manage the relations between judiciary and government in a regime where laws must be stabilized for avoiding to slow down the investment initiatives.
In contrast, Myrdal wants the protection of individuals by a welfare state. Later he will also advocate the abolition of the Prize, with the argument that its attribution to von Hayek was encouraging the reactionaries.
A few years later the fall of the Soviet regime will be an illustration of the non-Keynesian model of von Hayek. Liberalism will come back in the Western democracies with Reagan and Thatcher.
On March 19, 2019, Sotheby's sold for £ 1.15M from a lower estimate of 400K the Nobel Prize medal and diploma awarded to von Hayek, lot 27.
1988 Leon Lederman in Physics
2015 SOLD for $ 765K by Nate D Sanders
The existence of an electrically neutral particle which only reacts to the weak interaction was suspected in period by Pauli in 1930. It would have been emitted from the nucleus in the process of the conservation of energy in a radioactive reaction. Fermi named it the neutrino in 1932.
The hitherto supposed undetectable neutrino was detected in 1956 by Cowan and Reines. Reines received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995, 21 years after Cowan's death.
In 1962 Lederman, Schwartz and Steinberger discovered the muon neutrino, demonstrating by the way the existence of more than one type of neutrino. They were awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics.
The Nobel medal awarded to Leon Lederman was sold in his lifetime for $ 765K by Nate D. Sanders on May 28, 2015. It is narrated in a post sale report by the auction house and AP.
The hitherto supposed undetectable neutrino was detected in 1956 by Cowan and Reines. Reines received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995, 21 years after Cowan's death.
In 1962 Lederman, Schwartz and Steinberger discovered the muon neutrino, demonstrating by the way the existence of more than one type of neutrino. They were awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics.
The Nobel medal awarded to Leon Lederman was sold in his lifetime for $ 765K by Nate D. Sanders on May 28, 2015. It is narrated in a post sale report by the auction house and AP.
1993 Kary Mullis in Chemistry
2016 SOLD for $ 670K by Bonhams
Life exists because the chains of the DNA molecule have the capability to replicate. The discovery of the double helix structure by the team of crystallographers of Crick and Watson in 1953 was followed as early as 1956 by the discovery of the catalyst by a biochemist, Kornberg.
The molecular phenomena are too small to be studied individually but the challenge is immense. Genetic defects or viral attacks would be best countered if their mechanisms were modeled on the scale of the chain sequence.
The early tests for the replication in vitro of complete DNA sequences are discouraging by their processing time and their low yield. Chemists take control in their turn of that problem. In 1982, a publication by Dr. Kary Mullis working for Cetus company provides the solution, identified as PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction).
Once the chain carrying the property to be analyzed is isolated, it is put in the presence of a nourishing primer and subjected to successive cycles of heating and cooling. The reaction is fast and the population growth is exponential. The invention of Mullis is intuitive. His great merit is to have proved the correctness of his concept by developing the appropriate machine. The impact on genetic engineering is immediate.
Mullis received the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, shared with the biochemist Michael Smith.
On February 14, 2016, Bonhams sold in one lot for $ 670K from a lower estimate of $ 450K the Nobel medal of Dr. Mullis along with his Nobel diploma, a copy of his lecture and several other documents, lot 93.
Mullis was the third Nobel winner to sell his own medal at auction, after Watson and Lederman.
Please watch his interview by Bonhams in the preparation of the sale.
The molecular phenomena are too small to be studied individually but the challenge is immense. Genetic defects or viral attacks would be best countered if their mechanisms were modeled on the scale of the chain sequence.
The early tests for the replication in vitro of complete DNA sequences are discouraging by their processing time and their low yield. Chemists take control in their turn of that problem. In 1982, a publication by Dr. Kary Mullis working for Cetus company provides the solution, identified as PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction).
Once the chain carrying the property to be analyzed is isolated, it is put in the presence of a nourishing primer and subjected to successive cycles of heating and cooling. The reaction is fast and the population growth is exponential. The invention of Mullis is intuitive. His great merit is to have proved the correctness of his concept by developing the appropriate machine. The impact on genetic engineering is immediate.
Mullis received the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, shared with the biochemist Michael Smith.
On February 14, 2016, Bonhams sold in one lot for $ 670K from a lower estimate of $ 450K the Nobel medal of Dr. Mullis along with his Nobel diploma, a copy of his lecture and several other documents, lot 93.
Mullis was the third Nobel winner to sell his own medal at auction, after Watson and Lederman.
Please watch his interview by Bonhams in the preparation of the sale.
1994 John Nash in Economic Sciences
2019 SOLD for $ 735K by Christie's
The 1994 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Harsanyi, Nash and Selten "for their pioneering analysis of equilibria in the theory of non-cooperative games". The scientific contribution by Selten had been to define a ultimate equilibrium within Nash theories.
Knowing the initial state of a situation and the characters in the action, it is tempting to use scientific models to predict the outcome. The pioneers of this game theory were Von Neumann, Zermelo and Morgenstern.
John F. Nash, Jr. is a brilliant mathematician and thinker at Princeton University where he has the opportunity to meet Von Neumann. His first observation is of the highest relevance : no economic theory before him has considered the behavior in bargaining.
His thesis dissertation in 1950 focuses on his own new model within the game theory allowing for a non-cooperative behavior between players and assuming that the conclusion is a state of equilibrium. The undisclosed behavior of a negotiator can be either friendly or hostile. A set of initial conditions can lead to various Nash equilibria and the prediction takes into account a probability factor. Extended to several players, the calculation of a Nash equilibrium reaches an extreme complexity.
Life is not a game. After these exceptional beginnings, Nash becomes schizophrenic. His work is recognized but his person is forgotten. It is to the credit of the Nobel Committee to have retrieved and rewarded him in 1994.
This event is significant. For the first time a Nobel Prize is awarded for contributions to the game theory. Nash, unemployed at the time of his Nobel Prize, is proud that his work is highlighted and starts a new life.
On October 25, 2019, Christie's sold the Nobel medals and diplomas of John Forbes Nash Jr and Reinhard Selten, both accompanied with documents or photos related to their Nobel award.
Nash's Nobel set was sold for $ 735K from a lower estimate of $ 500K, lot 61, and Selten's for $ 225K, lot 62. Lot 60, sold for $ 135K, was a copy of Nash's 1951 doctoral thesis. The Nash Nobel had passed at Sotheby's in a single lot auction on October 17, 2016. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Knowing the initial state of a situation and the characters in the action, it is tempting to use scientific models to predict the outcome. The pioneers of this game theory were Von Neumann, Zermelo and Morgenstern.
John F. Nash, Jr. is a brilliant mathematician and thinker at Princeton University where he has the opportunity to meet Von Neumann. His first observation is of the highest relevance : no economic theory before him has considered the behavior in bargaining.
His thesis dissertation in 1950 focuses on his own new model within the game theory allowing for a non-cooperative behavior between players and assuming that the conclusion is a state of equilibrium. The undisclosed behavior of a negotiator can be either friendly or hostile. A set of initial conditions can lead to various Nash equilibria and the prediction takes into account a probability factor. Extended to several players, the calculation of a Nash equilibrium reaches an extreme complexity.
Life is not a game. After these exceptional beginnings, Nash becomes schizophrenic. His work is recognized but his person is forgotten. It is to the credit of the Nobel Committee to have retrieved and rewarded him in 1994.
This event is significant. For the first time a Nobel Prize is awarded for contributions to the game theory. Nash, unemployed at the time of his Nobel Prize, is proud that his work is highlighted and starts a new life.
On October 25, 2019, Christie's sold the Nobel medals and diplomas of John Forbes Nash Jr and Reinhard Selten, both accompanied with documents or photos related to their Nobel award.
Nash's Nobel set was sold for $ 735K from a lower estimate of $ 500K, lot 61, and Selten's for $ 225K, lot 62. Lot 60, sold for $ 135K, was a copy of Nash's 1951 doctoral thesis. The Nash Nobel had passed at Sotheby's in a single lot auction on October 17, 2016. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
2021 Dmitry Muratov Peace Prize
2022 SOLD for $ 103.5M by Heritage
In 1993 Mikhail Gorbachev used the money from his 1990 Nobel Peace prize to help founding an independent Russian newspaper, the Novaya Gazeta. The key personality for this operation is Dmitry Muratov, editor in chief from 1995 excepted a two year hiatus from 2017.
It is indeed not a comfortable task. From 2000 to 2009 six of its journalists including two women have been killed in a direct following of their professional investigations.
The 2021 Nobel Peace prize was shared between the Filipino journalist Maria Ressa and Muratov "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace."
During the Russian-Ukrainian war, Muratov decided on March 22, 2022 to sell his medal to support UNICEF's humanitarian response for children in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
It was sold for $ 103.5M in a single lot auction operated by Heritage on June 20 which is also the World Refugee Day. The bidding was opened on June 1 which is Children's Day in Ukraine. The event is approved by the Norwegian Nobel Institute as a "generous act of humanitarianism very much in the spirit of Alfred Nobel". Please watch the video of an interview of Muratov about that project, shared by the auction house.
A precedent is the sale by Niels Bohr of his Nobel Prize in Physics medal to benefit Finnish relief during the Second World War.
The Russian edition of the Novaya Gazeta was suspended on March 28, 2022 after two warnings from the Russian agency in charge of the control of the communication. Muratov was subsequently splashed by an assailant in the eyes with a mixture of red paint and acetone.
It is indeed not a comfortable task. From 2000 to 2009 six of its journalists including two women have been killed in a direct following of their professional investigations.
The 2021 Nobel Peace prize was shared between the Filipino journalist Maria Ressa and Muratov "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace."
During the Russian-Ukrainian war, Muratov decided on March 22, 2022 to sell his medal to support UNICEF's humanitarian response for children in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
It was sold for $ 103.5M in a single lot auction operated by Heritage on June 20 which is also the World Refugee Day. The bidding was opened on June 1 which is Children's Day in Ukraine. The event is approved by the Norwegian Nobel Institute as a "generous act of humanitarianism very much in the spirit of Alfred Nobel". Please watch the video of an interview of Muratov about that project, shared by the auction house.
A precedent is the sale by Niels Bohr of his Nobel Prize in Physics medal to benefit Finnish relief during the Second World War.
The Russian edition of the Novaya Gazeta was suspended on March 28, 2022 after two warnings from the Russian agency in charge of the control of the communication. Muratov was subsequently splashed by an assailant in the eyes with a mixture of red paint and acetone.
