General Discussion

The winning bid of $103,500,000 may seem an odd figure, but makes more sense when one knows that $103,500,000 at the time of the sale was equivalent to exactly 100,000,000 Swiss Francs. There are more than a couple anti-Putin gazillionaires living in Switzerland. The auctioning firm, Heritage Auctions of Dallas, put on the Auction for free, absorbing all expenses, and even requested the winning bidder to wire the money directly to the charity, so that not even one cent could disappear into their hands as “expenses.” The winning bidder didn’t even request delivery of his medal (not speculation—I know where it is, and it is not in the USA or Switzerland). The buyer’s action was strictly a charitable contribution made under the guise of an auction purchase. He wanted to make a charitable contribution, not acquire an expensive trophy that he had never earned.