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[Robert S. Mulliken]. Nobel Prize Medal in Chemistry for his development of Molecular Orbital Theory....
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$200,000.00
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The 1966 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to Robert Sanderson Mulliken
[Robert S. Mulliken]. Nobel Prize Medal in Chemistry for his
development of Molecular Orbital Theory. 1966.23 carat gold, 66 mm diameter. Profile bust of Alfred Nobel facing left on obverse, with "ALFR. NOBEL" at left and his dates in Roman numerals at right, signed along lower left edge (incuse) "E. LINDBERG 1902", reverse with allegorical vignette showing the figure of Science unveiling Nature, signed at right "ERIK. LINDBERG", legend "INVENTAS VITAM IUVAT EX COLUISSE PER ARTES" around edge, "R. S. MULLIKEN / MCMLXVI" engraved below on plaque, with caption "REG. ACAD. - SCIENT. SUEC." on either side of the plaque; rim marked "MJV GULD 1966." Housed in original red morocco gilt case, interior lined in gold-colored suede and yellow satin, and with "R. S. Mulliken" lettered in gilt on upper cover..
Accompanying the medal is Mulliken's original check from the Nobel Institute, dated December 10, 1966, made out to "Professor Robert S. Mulliken" for 300,000 kronor (approximately $32,000 USD today), endorsed in blue ballpoint on the verso, "Robert S. Mulliken."
Robert Sanderson Mulliken (1896-1986), nicknamed by his students "Mr. Molecule," was one of the foremost theoretical chemists of the 20th century. Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to a family of chemists, he earned his B.S. in chemistry from MIT in 1917 before serving in the Army's Chemical Warfare Service during World War I. After sustaining injuries in a laboratory accident, he completed his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, where his early research on isotope separation helped lay the groundwork for later nuclear chemistry.
In 1927, while a professor of physics at New York University, Mulliken traveled to Europe, where he collaborated with leading quantum theorists including Erwin Schrödinger, Werner Heisenberg, Louis de Broglie, Max Born, and Friedrich Hund. Working with Hund that same year, Mulliken developed the molecular orbital theory, which revolutionized the understanding of chemical bonding by describing how electrons occupy orbitals that extend across an entire molecule rather than being confined to individual atoms. This framework bridged the gap between physics and chemistry, allowing scientists to predict molecular behavior using quantum mechanics. By 1933, Mulliken's theory had gained wide acceptance and became the foundation of modern molecular physics and computational chemistry. Mulliken's research profoundly influenced fields ranging from spectroscopy and chemical kinetics to solid-state physics. His methods remain central to molecular orbital calculations still in use today. The 1966 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognized this achievement as "one of the most important advances in the understanding of molecular structure and chemical bonding."
Beyond his Nobel-winning work, Mulliken contributed to the U.S. Manhattan Project during World War II, applying his research in isotope separation to plutonium research. He later returned to academia, continuing to refine quantum theory and molecular spectroscopy. A member of the National Academy of Sciences (admitted in 1936 as its youngest member), Mulliken was also a Fulbright Scholar, a Foreign Member of the Royal Society, and a founding member of the World Cultural Council. He earned numerous other awards for his contributions to science, many of which are offered in this auction, including the Priestley Medal, the Willard Gibbs Award, the Gilbert Newton Lewis Medal, the John Gamble Kirkwood Award, and the Theodore William Richards Medal. Mulliken died on October 31, 1986, at the age of 90.
Universally recognized as the highest international honor, the Nobel Prize had been awarded for more than eighty years before any Laureate's gold medal ever reached the auction block. The first recorded public sale occurred in 1985, when the 1903 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to William Cremer was offered at auction. Over the next three decades, fewer than a dozen additional medals appeared for sale-including the first to exceed one million dollars, Francis Crick's 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which realized $2,270,500 at Heritage Auctions in 2013. The following year, Crick's co-recipient, James Watson, sold his medal at Christie's for $4,757,000. In 2016, Dr. Kary Mullis's 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry brought $665,000 at Bonhams. All of these results were eclipsed in 2022, when Russian newspaper editor Dmitry Muratov's Nobel Peace Prize was sold philanthropically for more than $103 million, with proceeds benefiting displaced Ukrainian children.
This lot includes an extensive archive of provenance materials related to Mulliken's Nobel Prize. Items include an 18 x 12.5 cm black-and-white photograph of Mulliken receiving the award; signed letters from leading physicists and chemists, including Edward and Mici Teller, Enrico Fermi, and James Franck; correspondence with Nobel Institute officials concerning his nomination, acceptance, and travel arrangements; and printed programs and booklets from the 1966 ceremony in Stockholm. The correspondence spans 1965 to 1979 and includes later invitations for Mulliken to advise on Nobel nominations and attend subsequent ceremonies.
Condition: Medal fine. Minor fraying to inner hinge of case, with a touch of soiling to the suede lining. Condition of provenance materials is generally good, with occasional toning, staining, or age-related wear throughout.
Reference: "Robert S. Mulliken." NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach 2025.
Provenance: From the personal collection of the 1966 Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry, Robert S. Mulliken; thence by descent.
Auction Info
2025 December 15 Rare Books Signature® Auction #6323 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2025
15th
Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 5
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