NEW YORK (AP) – The Nobel Peace Prize, which Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov sold at auction to raise money for Ukrainian refugee children, sold for $ 103.5 million on Monday night, breaking the old Nobel Prize record.
A spokesman for Heritage Auctions, who was in charge of the sale, could not confirm the identity of the buyer, but said the winning bid was made through a proxy. The sale for 103.5 million dollars is equal to 100 million Swiss francs, which suggests that the buyer is from abroad.
The live auction took place on World Refugee Day. Previously, the highest paid for a Nobel Prize medal was $ 4.76 million in 2014, when James Watson, whose joint discovery of the structure of DNA earned him the Nobel Prize in 1962, sold his own.
Three years later, the family of his accomplice, Francis Crick, received $ 2.27 million in bidding, also run by Heritage Auctions.
Muratov, who was awarded the gold medal in October 2021, helped found the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and was editor-in-chief when it closed in March amid Kremlin repression against journalists and public dissent. result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Muratov’s idea was to sell his prize at auction after he announced that he was donating the accompanying $ 500,000 cash prize to charity. The idea of the donation, he said, “is to give refugee children a chance at the future.”
Muratov said the proceeds would go directly to UNICEF in its efforts to help children displaced by the war in Ukraine.
Melted, the 175 grams of 23-carat gold contained in Muratov’s medal would cost about $ 10,000.
In an interview with the Associated Press before the auction, Muratov said he was particularly concerned about children orphaned by the conflict in Ukraine.
“We want to give them back their future,” he said.
He added that it was important that international sanctions against Russia did not prevent humanitarian aid, such as drugs for rare diseases and bone marrow transplants, from reaching those in need.
“This should be the beginning of a flash mob as a role model so that people can sell their valuables at auction to help Ukrainians,” Muratov said in a video released by Heritage Auctions, which sells but does not take any share of the revenue.
Muratov shared last year’s Nobel Peace Prize with journalist Maria Resa from the Philippines.
The two journalists, each of whom received their own medals, were honored for their battles to preserve freedom of speech in their respective countries, despite being attacked by harassment, their governments and even death threats.
Muratov is highly critical of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the war that began in February, which forced nearly 5 million Ukrainians to flee to other security countries, creating the biggest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II.
Independent journalists in Russia have been screened by the Kremlin, if not outright targets of the government. Since Putin came to power more than two decades ago, nearly two dozen journalists have been killed, including at least four who worked for Muratov’s newspaper.
In April, Muratov said he was attacked with red paint while on board a Russian train.
Muratov left Russia for Western Europe on Thursday to begin his trip to New York, where the live bidding began on Monday night.
The online offers started on June 1 to coincide with the celebration of International Children’s Day.
Early Monday, the high bid was only $ 550,000. The purchase price was expected to rise, but perhaps not more than $ 100 million.
“This is a very special deal,” said Joshua Benes, chief strategic officer of Heritage Auctions. “Not everyone in the world has a Nobel Prize for auction, and not every day of the week has a Nobel Prize that crosses the auction block.
Since its inception in 1901, there have been nearly 1,000 Nobel Prize winners in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and the promotion of peace.
The ongoing war and international humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of those affected in Ukraine will certainly be of interest, Benes said, adding that it is difficult to predict how much someone would be willing to pay for the medal.
“I think there will certainly be some excitement on Monday,” Benes said. “This is such a unique item that is sold in unique circumstances … a significant act of generosity and such a significant humanitarian crisis.
Muratov and Heritage officials said even those who did not bid could still help by donating directly to UNICEF.
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Associated Press writer Andrew Catell contributed to this report.
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