A symbol for a lifetime of distinguished work vs an interesting but small part of a career.
This may contribute to many youths choosing fame and fortune instead of putting in the efforts to advance science and civilization. How this will play out in the long run could be worrisome.
"The American scientist later auctioned off his gold medal for $765,000 (£665,000) to help pay medical bills after being diagnosed with dementia. "
"The Nobel gold medal of the scientist who coined the phrase “God particle” to describe the Higgs boson – the subatomic particle that accounts for matter having mass – has been sold for $765,002 (£510,000) at auction in Los Angeles."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/leon-lederman-dea...
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nobel-laureate-go...
"Well, Banksy’s phone booth is in the arms of the buyer who was able to pay $960,000 for it at a Phillips, De Pury & Luxembourg auction in 2014 – quite possibly after seeing it at the 2006 Barely Legal exhibition in Los Angeles – one which intended to draw attention to the legal aspects of graffiti art and was billed as a “three-day vandalized warehouse extravaganza.”
https://www.widewalls.ch/10-most-expensive-banksy-artworks-a...