Watson, 86, is best known as one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA in 1953 with Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, Linus Pauling and Francis Crick. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Watson reportedly plans to donate part of the proceeds from the sale to charity organizations and to assist researches. The medal is estimated to sell between US$2.5 million and $3.5 million.