A Nobel laureate's extraordinary group of awards and medals, including an extremely rare Order of Merit insignia, will come to auction on 6December at the Sworders Winter Country House sale.

The group, which also includes a copy of the Nobel Prize Medal for Chemistry, belonged to Sir Robert Robinson OM FRS (1886-1975), the pioneeringorganic chemist, whose work led to the successful production of anti malarial drugs.

He was knighted in 1939 and awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1947, gaining the Order of Merit in 1949.

Two papers he published in the 1920s remain major source works today on 'electronic theory'. The second of these introduced the curly arrow symbolas a device to represent electron movement in conjugated organic molecules. And he also invented the symbol now used for benzene.

Together the papers launched a major transition in the field of organic chemistry.

Sworders will offer, as a single lot, a group of more than 30 medals, honours and awards. They include Robinson's George VI Order of Merit; thegilt medal copy of his Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1947; the Franklin Medal, 1947; the Faraday Medal, 1947; the French Commandeur de la Légiond'Honneur; and his Knight's Bachelor badge. The estimate is £6000-8000.

"Quite apart from the unique and astounding archive of material associated with one of the nation's most brilliant minds from the last 100 years,the list of scientific honours included in this consignment would make it the pride of any institutional collection," said Sworders director JohnBlack.

"For independent collectors, too, the extremely rare chance to secure both the insignia of the Order of Merit and a copy of a Nobel Prize medalalone make this group an enticing prospect, but when you add the more than two dozen other outstanding awards, you really have to wonder whetheranything else will ever come close."

To read the complete article, see:
A NOBEL LAUREATE'S EXTRAORDINARY GROUP OFAWARDS AND MEDALS (www.sworder.co.uk/Latest-News/a-nobel-laureate-s-extraordinary-group-of-awards-and-medals)

To read the complete lot description, see:
An important collection of medals and awards, given to: Sir Robert Robinson OM, FRS (1886-1975), ...(www.sworder.co.uk/A695-lot-37-An-important-collection-of-medals-and-awards-
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