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View full screen - View 1 of Lot 59. Richard Feynman's Putnam and other mathematical awards, 1934-1939.

Property From The Family Of Richard P. Feynman

Richard Feynman's Putnam and other mathematical awards, 1934-1939

Lot Closed

April 28, 06:59 PM GMT

Estimate

8,000 - 12,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Property From The Family Of Richard P. Feynman

Feynman, Richard P.

A group of prestigious high school and college mathematics medallions, awarded to Richard Feynman from 1934-1939.


Group of five medallions:

1. A William Lowell Putnam Inter Collegiate Prize, 1939.  1 1/2 x 2 cm gold medallion with obverse with stork against background of crosses, reverse reading "The/William/Lowell/Putnam/Inter/Collegiate/Prize". Housed in the original velvet-lined leather case. 

2. Washington Square College of New York University Π M E Mathematics, [no date, but 1935], 3 cm gold medal with a blue & white ribbon. Obverse with central lamp of knowledge.

3. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, [no date], 1 3/4 x 2 cm gold medallion on red & white ribbon. 

4. I.A.L. 2 x 3 cm gold medallion with red, white, & blue ribbon, obverse with lamp of knowledge and engraved with "I.A.L.", reverse engraved with "R. Feynman/First Prize/Fall 1934."

5. I.A.L. 2 x 3 cm bronze medallion with red, white, & blue ribbon, obverse with lamp of knowledge and engraved with "I.A.L.", reverse engraved with "R. Feynman/Second Prize/June 1935."


A GROUP OF MATHEMATICAL AWARD MEDALLIONS, PRESENTED TO A YOUNG RICHARD FEYNMAN, INCLUDING FOR THE PRESTIGIOUS WILLIAM LOWELL PUTNAM COMPETITION


Founded in 1937 by Elizabeth Lowell Putnam in memory of her husband William, the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition is administered by the Mathematical Association of America and has been offered annually since 1938. The competition is for undergraduate college students in the US and Canada, awarding cash prizes and scholarships for the top students and schools, and one of the top five individual scorers, named Putnam Fellows, are awarded a scholarship plus tuition at Harvard. The exam consists of 12 questions, each worth 10 points each; the median score is usually zero. Feynman, one of two Nobel laureates to be named a Putnam Fellow, received the highest score in the US by an very large margin. He declined the scholarship to Harvard.