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A copy of Stephen Hawking's doctorate thesis signed in a shaky hand was unveiled.
One of Hawking's wheelchairs, an early edition of his bestselling book "A Brief History of Time" marked with a thumbprint, and a script from one of his appearances on the television series "The Simpsons" are also among the 22 lots on sale at Christie's auction house.
The collection highlights the brilliance, determination and sense of humor of Hawking, who died in March aged 76 after a lifetime of trying to unlock the secrets of the universe.
Hawking published his thesis in 1965, two years after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), has a form of motor neuron disease that would eventually leave him paralyzed.
His first wife Jane typed out the 117 pages but he added two hand-written signatures and the words "This dissertation is my original work" at the front, and several mathematical equations inside.
The copy, "Properties of expanding universes", is $ 100,000- 150,000 ($ 128,000- $ 191,000, 112,000-168,000 euros).
When the document was made available online by Cambridge University, where it was so popular that it crashed the website.
Another auction is a red leather wheelchair which was used in the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, driving himself using a joystick, priced at 10,000- 15,000.
"Famously he was quite a dangerous driver" He ran over Prince Charles "feet when they put," Thomas Venning, Christie's head of books and manuscripts, told AFP.
– Time traveler party –
He noted that the items on the subject of the family revealed "the progression of his illness but the way that he overcame it".
"They range from some of his really important science to some fun stuff that reflects his personality," he said.
There are Hawking's own copies of some of his most important scientific articles, including his seminal work, which was predicted to be canceled, estimated at 3,000- 5,000.
But there is also an invitation he has felt to have held several years previously, a light-hearted experiment to see if any time would turn up. It is priced at 100- 150.
As Hawking's health deteriorated, a copy of "A Brief History of Time", priced at 2,000- 3,000, is marked with a thumbprint on the inside page.
The auction also contains a 2009 production script for "The Simpsons", the hit US show in which the number of times was estimated at 2,000- 3,000.
His lines, which he programmed into the computer he used to speak after losing his voice, are highlighted in yellow.
Venning said there had already been a lot of interest in the world, which will take place by October 31 to November 8.
"He was someone who was connected to the world," he said.
"It will be a range of people (who bid) but what they will have in common is a passion for science, and there will be people who are inspired by Stephen Hawking's story."
Other items include medals and awards, and a bomber jacket Hawking wore in a 2016 documentary.
The items are only a small selection from the Hawking's archive, which is donating to the nation in place of paying inheritance tax, but there are no details yet of where it will be stored.
The fund will be donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association and the Stephen Hawking Foundation.
Lots include an early edition of his bestselling book 'A Brief History of Time' marked with a thumbprint, and a script from one of his appearances on the television series 'The Simpsons'
Hawking, who died in March aged 76, spent a lifetime trying to unlock the secrets of the universe
The copy, one of only five originals of the thesis entitled "Properties of expanding universes", is the top price in the auction valued at 100,000- 150,000
Another auction is a red leather wheelchair which was used in the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, driving himself using a joystick
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