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Stephen Hawking's wheelchair to go up for sale

By T.K. Randall
October 22, 2018 · Comment icon 8 comments

Hawking's thesis is expected to fetch over $100,000. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Lwp Kommunikacio / Flickr
Several of the late physicist's scientific papers and possessions are to be sold at auction next week.
The sale, which will be conducted by Christie's, will include a script from Hawking's famous appearance on The Simpsons as well as one of his earliest surviving wheelchairs.

A copy of his best-selling 1988 book A Brief History of Time, which has been signed with the wheelchair-bound physicist's own thumbprint, is estimated to fetch between $2,250 and $3,870.

The most expensive item at the auction, an original signed copy of his 1965 doctoral thesis on the expansion of the universe, is expected to fetch in excess of $126,000.
Some of the less expensive items up for grabs include a bomber jacket and an old talk invitation.

Recognized around the world as both a scientific genius and pop-culture icon, Hawking's work in the field of cosmology, as well as his distinctive computer-generated voice, made him one of the most respected and recognizable people on the face of the planet.

Diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and given just two years to live at the age of 21, Hawking went on to defy all the odds by living a long and eventful life.

He died back in March at the age of 76.

Source: CNBC | Comments (8)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by AllPossible 6 years ago
Interesting, I was actually looking for a new set of wheels
Comment icon #2 Posted by Still Waters 6 years ago
 
Comment icon #3 Posted by Kittens Are Jerks 6 years ago
I always have mixed feelings about such auctions. It would be nice if certain things were simply placed in a museum where everyone could have an opportunity to see them and learn more about the person and their life. At the same time, I can't object when an important cause benefits from the sale.
Comment icon #4 Posted by Hankenhunter 6 years ago
I aint buying the Stephen's chair till Howard Wolliwitz returns all the spare parts.  Hank /Still missing you Mr. Hawkins. Rest in peace genius guy.
Comment icon #5 Posted by Aardvark-DK 6 years ago
Should have been donated to a museum, not sold for profil....
Comment icon #6 Posted by Almighty Evan 6 years ago
I was thinking this would be an ideal item for the Smithsonian, and just noticed people have been discussing exactly that since March:  
Comment icon #7 Posted by paperdyer 6 years ago
Maybe a museum will buy it or the buyer will donate it and get a double tax deduction it he has a good consultant.
Comment icon #8 Posted by Eldorado 6 years ago
A wheelchair used by the late Professor Stephen Hawking and a copy of his doctoral thesis have fetched almost £1m between them at auction. The motorised chair - which had a pre-sale estimate of £15,000 - went for a whopping £296,750, with the proceeds donated to his foundation and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. His 1965 Cambridge University thesis - Properties of Expanding Universes - attracted even bigger bids and eventually sold for £584,750. Full report: https://news.sky.com/story/stephen-hawkings-wheelchair-and-thesis-sold-at-auction-11548690 (About 20 of the late professor's i... [More]


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