Machado said she presented her medal to Trump
to recognise his commitment to the freedom of the Venezuelan people. Trump had been arguing for much of 2025 that he should win the prize, claiming he had resolved major conflicts across the world and preventing wars.
While Machado passing along the medal to Trump appears to be the first time where a laureate attempts to pass the recognition or honour that comes with the award, Nobel Peace Prize medals have changed owners through various means including auctions in the award’s 125-year-long history.Here’s look at the times gold medal that has been away in the past:
1) Dmitry Muratov | Nobel Peace Prize 2021
A well‑known case, the Nobel Peace Center highlighted, is Russian journalists Dmitry Muratov’s medal, which was auctioned for over $100 million to support refugees from the war in Ukraine. He was awarded the prize in 2021 for his “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression” and shared with Filipino journalist Maria Ressa. It was auctioned a year later in 2022.
2) James Watson | Nobel Prize in Medicine, 1962
American molecular biologist and geneticist James Watson, who co-discovered the DNA double helix, sold his Nobel Prize medal at auction in 2014 for $4.1 million. However, the unnamed buyer later returned the medal to Watson.
3) Sir William Lawrence Bragg | Nobel Prize in Physics, 1915
The sale of Sir William Bragg’s Nobel medal was a relatively low-profile event, done later in his life due to financial constraints in 1936. While the exact buyer and sale amount were never publicly disclosed, the medal ultimately ended up with the Royal Institution in London, where it is now preserved.
4) Ragnar Granit | Nobel Prize in Medicine, 1967
Neurophysiologist Ragnar Granit’s Nobel medal was sold in March 2004 after it was recovered from theft in damaged condition. Details of the buyer and final sale price were not made public but the transaction was acknowledged by Nobel-linked institutions as legitimate.
First Published: Jan 16, 2026 1:51 PM IS
