Nobel Prize won by Cold Spring Harbor Lab's James D. Watson up for auction

The 1962 Nobel Prize James D. Watson of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory won for his role in the discovery of the structure of DNA is going on the auction block.

You'll have a chance to bid on a piece of science history on Dec. 4 when the prize, shared with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for their work characterizing the double-helix structure of DNA, goes under the hammer at the New York auction house Christie's.

After the $6 million sale last year of a letter written by Crick to his son that described the team's discovery, Christie's is estimating that Watson's Nobel Prize -- minted at the Swedish National Mint and plated with 24 karat gold -- could command $2.5 million to $3.5 million.

Watson says part of the proceeds will go to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the University of Chicago, Clare College Cambridge, Long Island Land Trust and other charities

No other Nobel Prize has been offered for sale by a living recipient, Christie's said.

The 1953 discovery of DNA's double-helix design is considered one of modern science's watershed moments, giving birth to a new science of molecular biology and leading to extraordinary advances in medicine. Watson, 86, is chancellor emeritus of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.