(CNN) - DNA pioneer James Watson is to sell the Nobel Prize he won for his co-discovery of the double helix structure, the building block of life.

The coveted gold medal is expected to go under the hammer for up to $3.5 million in a sale at Christie's in New York on December 4.

It will be the first time a Nobel Prize has been sold by a living recipient.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/25/world/james-watson-to-sell-nobel-prize/