Eyes on the (Nobel) Prize
It's not often that a Noble Prize is offered at auction, but collectors will have two opportunities this spring. One, in fact, this very week. On Thursday, April 11, Heritage Auctions will offer Dr. Francis Crick's Nobel Prize medal and hand-illuminated Nobel diploma at its Manuscripts auction in New York. According to Heritage, "The auction of the medal is a historic moment, marking the first time in decades that a Nobel Prize has been sold at auction."
And while we wouldn't call it a trend just yet, in late March Sotheby's announced that it will offer William Faulkner's Nobel Prize medal in June. Part of a larger and incredibly impressive archive, the prize medallion is lotted with an early handwritten draft of Faulkner's Nobel acceptance speech--written on Algonquin Hotel letterhead!--and the Nobel diploma. It is expected to realize $500,000.
Heritage has similar hopes for Crick's 23-carat-gold Nobel. Bidding has already opened online--it's currently at $280,000--to be followed by a live floor session.
News of the Crick Nobel at auction prompted the the San Diego Union-Tribune to poll readers about whether they would "bid on a Nobel Prize at auction." A surprising 40 percent said "It just feels wrong to auction off the medal," while the yes and no votes were split evenly, and 13 percent asked, "Who has that kind of money?"
