A Nobel Prize awarded to James Watson has been auctioned off for nearly $4.8 million, despite a backlash from some science enthusiasts. This was the first time one of the prestigious awards was sold by a living recipient.
Christie's Auction House, the company that managed the auction, estimated the prize would bring in between $2.5 and $3.5 million, a goal which turned out to be far too modest. The anonymous buyer placed the bid, which totaled $4,757,000 including commission, by telephone.
"The bidding opened at $1.5 million and proceeded swiftly upward as a three-way battle between clients on the phone, until one bidder dropped out at the $3.8 million mark. The remaining two phone bidders battled on in increments of $100,000, until the final, record-setting price of $4.76 million was achieved -- more than double the previous price realized for a Nobel Prize medal at auction," Francis Wahlgren, Christie's International Director of Books & Manuscripts, said.
Watson was one of the people who discovered the double helix structure of DNA, launching modern genetic analysis responsible for revolutionary advances in a wide variety of fields. He also made a series of comments that were received unfavorably by many people around the globe.
During interviews given over the course of years, the biologist complained about the physical features of colleague Rosalind Franklin and stated obese people were not hired for jobs because they are lazy. In 2007, he told reporters he held little hope for improving conditions in Africa due to the genetic nature of people on the continent.
"[A]ll our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours -- whereas all the testing says not really," Watson told Britain's Sunday Press. The noted molecular biologist suggested at the time that a genetic connection to intelligence would be found within a decade, providing evidence for his statements.
When the auction was announced for Watson's Nobel Prize, calls were seen on social media for a boycott of the sale.
"These historic prices, as well as the strong prices achieved for Dr. Watson's Nobel acceptance speech and lecture manuscript, demonstrate the growing strength in the market for the iconic pieces related to the early understanding and development of the implications of DNA and its growing relevance today," Wahlgren stated on a web page detailing results of the auction.
