NEW YORK, NY.- Christies announced that the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Alfonso Garcia Robles in 1982 for his pioneering work in nuclear disarmament will be offered for auction. Garcia Robles was the driving force behind the Treaty of Tlatelolco, opened for signing 50 years ago on February 14, 1967, and significant for keeping Latin America and the Caribbean nuclear-free to this day. The Nobel Peace Prize medal is 18 carat gold and 2.5 inches diameter, estimated at $400,000 $600,000, and will be included in The Exceptional Sale on April 28 in New York.
We are thrilled and honored to be offering this tangible symbol of mankinds struggle for peace, remarks Becky MacGuire, specialist of The Exceptional Sale. In 1962 Alfonso Garcia Robles watched the Cuban missile crisis unfold a mere 1,500 miles off Mexico, and he resolved to put an end to the horrific nuclear threat for his beloved country and the entire region. His unwavering dedication to the cause of disarmament resulted in the groundbreaking Treaty that did end that threat. The Nobel Peace Prize honoring Garcia Robles reminds us of the very best in humanity, just as great, transformative works of art do.
The Treaty of Tlatelolco was the first disarmament agreement covering a populous region of the world, preceded only by a 1962 agreement covering Antarctica. The Treaty remains an influential model to this day with pioneering verification measures and a protocol ratified by the United States, Russia and the other nuclear nations at that time. Known as Mr. Disarmament, Garcia Robles was a delegate to the 1945 San Francisco conference that established the UN, a Mexican ambassador to Brazil, Mexicos ambassador to the UN and Foreign Minister of Mexico before becoming Mexicos permanent representative to the UN Committee on Disarmament.