Einstein's doctoral certificate [...] stands as a fantastic reminder of his genius and the cornerstone of his academic and research career, which profoundly affected the way we view our world and the cosmos.
Known for the Theory of Relativity and numerous other discoveries in the field of physics, Albert Einstein is one of the few people in history considered a true genius. Not surprisingly, then, the news that his original doctoral certificate will soon go up for auction has sparked a lot of interest.
The document will be the main lot in the Bonhams Fine Books & Manuscripts auction scheduled for April 12 in New York. Issued by the University of Zurich, the certificate dates back to 1905, known as the annus mirabilis ('miracle year') for Einstein, due to the numerous extraordinary results achieved by the physicist in that period. The important personal relic of the 20th century's greatest scientist is offered with an impressive estimate of $300,000-500,000.
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"Einstein's doctoral certificate for his important paper on calculating molecular dimensions, now the most cited of all of his writings, stands as a fantastic reminder of his genius and the cornerstone of his academic and research career which profoundly affected the way we view our world and the cosmos," said Ian Ehling, Director of Fine Books and Manuscripts at Bonhams in New York
The auction will also include the collection of photographer Roman Vishniac (1897-1990), known for documenting Jewish communities across Europe before World War II. Born to a Jewish family, Vishniac fled Russia in 1918 in the face of growing anti-Semitism driven by the revolts against the Bolsheviks, arriving in Germany a few years before the Nazis came to power. His photographs, which are intimate and disturbing depictions of Jewish neighborhoods, were published in 1947 as part of Vanished World: Jewish Cities, Jewish People, which brought him to fame.
