Russian Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov’s medal fetched more than $103 million at an auction in New York. The buyer made the offer over the phone, when the counter price was about $17 million.

Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021. He is the founder and, until a few years ago, the editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Muratov himself was at the auction and gave a speech. He donates the proceeds to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which helps children displaced by the war in Ukraine. “We want to give them back their future,” Muratov said earlier.

17 million phone calls

Heritage Auctions spokesman Jaco Schipper said the $103.5 million bid sparked disbelief in those present. He says bids started at less than $800,000.

“From a million dollars it went up in steps of a hundred thousand dollars. It went very smoothly and with every million higher there was applause in the hall. Then somewhere about 17 million came that call of more than a hundred million dollars.”

According to Schipper, the seller then offered the opportunity to cross it, but that turned out to be a bridge too far for those present. It is not clear who the buyer is and where he came from.

Calls inch the amount is unprecedented. He points out that these sums are paid only for masterpieces by painters such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh. The most expensive coin ever auctioned was the $1,933 piece that fetched $16 million and that was Until now register.

Muratov shared the 2021 Nobel Prize with Filipino journalist Maria Ressa. The Nobel Committee emphasized that both defended freedom of expression and freedom of the press in their countries.