Stephen Hawking's Wheelchair, Thesis Papers To Be Auctioned In London

Late British physicist Stephen Hawking's high-tech wheelchair and his 1965 Ph.D. thesis are going on sale, London-based auction house Christie's announced.

The scientific papers, including one of five existing copies of Stephen Hawking's Ph.D. thesis in 1965 with an estimated price of 100,000 to 150,000 pounds (about $130,000 to $195,000), "trace the development of his thought - this brilliant, electrifying intelligence", Thomas Venning, head of books and manuscripts at Christie's, said on Monday.

Thomas Venning said the Ph.D. thesis, signed by Stephen Hawking in handwriting made shaky by his illness, is both a key document in the physicist's scientific evolution and a glimpse into his personal story, reports Xinhua news agency.

One of Dr Hawking's high-tech wheelchairs will also be listed for sale, at a value of 10,000 to 15,000 pounds. 

Proceeds from the wheelchair will be donated to charities.

The sale will give "admirers of his work the chance to acquire a memento of our father's extraordinary life in the shape of a small selection of evocative and fascinating items", said Dr Hawking's daughter Lucy. Twenty two items that belonged to the late physicist are going under the hammer.

As a part of a science sale including papers by Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein, the Hawking auction will open for bids on October 31.