Dinosaur
including Pterosaurs
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
Chronology : 1987 21st century 2020 to now
Fossils are classified in the chronology of the species.
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
Chronology : 1987 21st century 2020 to now
Fossils are classified in the chronology of the species.
Intro
Large carnivorous dinosaurs are found in China, Mongolia, Canada and the United States. The first three do not grant export permits for these fossils. The only country from where such theropods can be legally exported is the United States, provided that the specimen originates from private land.
The techniques of discovery and excavation of fossilized dinosaur skeletons are improving, and recent findings supplement and amend our knowledge. It is a matter for professionals, of course. Wyoming is their preferred ground, for the abundance of such remains.
The techniques of discovery and excavation of fossilized dinosaur skeletons are improving, and recent findings supplement and amend our knowledge. It is a matter for professionals, of course. Wyoming is their preferred ground, for the abundance of such remains.
2022 Apex the Stegosaur
2024 SOLD for $ 45M by Sotheby's
150 million years ago, the stegosaur was not a mere plant-eating dinosaur. It had to defend itself against the ferocious carnivorous. Its body was a fortress with a dermal pointed armor from neck to tail and tail spikes as a further weapon. The largest known weighed over 5 metric tons. The brain weighing 80 g in a small head led to the wrong theory of a second brain elsewhere in the body.
An example was discovered in 2022 by a commercial paleontologist on his private land in the vicinity of the Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado, and excavated though two seasons.
This 8 m long fossil is 70 % complete with 254 bone elements from a total of 319. Named Apex, it is mounted 3.35 m tall on a steel armature. The fragile first two dermal plates are stored in a case, with 3D printed replicas placed on the mount in their place. The old beast suffered from arthritis but has no trace of wound. Some fossilized skin impressions have been preserved.
Apex was sold with full rights for $ 45M from a lower estimate of $ 4M by Sotheby's on July 17, 2024, lot 13. Please watch the video shared by the auction house, here below started at 00:20 for a full picture. Please watch the longer video where the paleontologist and Sotheby's officer together display the whole process from excavation to auction.
In spring 2007, researchers at International Dinosauria were excited by the discovery of an allosaurus, whose dentition is well preserved. As they progressed in the recovery of bones of this flesh-eating dinosaur, they make a stunning and unprecedented discovery : a stegosaurus skeleton is mingled with the bones of the allosaurus.
There is no doubt that the animals killed one another 155 million years ago. Their corpses did probably fall into a river or were quickly buried by a mudslide, and the skeletons were not dispersed by other predators of the time.
It was anticipated that the dinosaurs were fighting. Grass-eating specimens were often the losers, as already shown by the bite of an allosaurus in the neck plate of a stegosaurus. But the discovery of two skeletons together was a considerable scientific novelty.
Both fossils were sold in one lot for $ 2.75M by Heritage on June 12, 2011. The allosaurus named Dracula is 6.30 m long and 70% complete. Fantasia, the stegosaurus, is 5.40 m long and 75% complete.
An example was discovered in 2022 by a commercial paleontologist on his private land in the vicinity of the Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado, and excavated though two seasons.
This 8 m long fossil is 70 % complete with 254 bone elements from a total of 319. Named Apex, it is mounted 3.35 m tall on a steel armature. The fragile first two dermal plates are stored in a case, with 3D printed replicas placed on the mount in their place. The old beast suffered from arthritis but has no trace of wound. Some fossilized skin impressions have been preserved.
Apex was sold with full rights for $ 45M from a lower estimate of $ 4M by Sotheby's on July 17, 2024, lot 13. Please watch the video shared by the auction house, here below started at 00:20 for a full picture. Please watch the longer video where the paleontologist and Sotheby's officer together display the whole process from excavation to auction.
In spring 2007, researchers at International Dinosauria were excited by the discovery of an allosaurus, whose dentition is well preserved. As they progressed in the recovery of bones of this flesh-eating dinosaur, they make a stunning and unprecedented discovery : a stegosaurus skeleton is mingled with the bones of the allosaurus.
There is no doubt that the animals killed one another 155 million years ago. Their corpses did probably fall into a river or were quickly buried by a mudslide, and the skeletons were not dispersed by other predators of the time.
It was anticipated that the dinosaurs were fighting. Grass-eating specimens were often the losers, as already shown by the bite of an allosaurus in the neck plate of a stegosaurus. But the discovery of two skeletons together was a considerable scientific novelty.
Both fossils were sold in one lot for $ 2.75M by Heritage on June 12, 2011. The allosaurus named Dracula is 6.30 m long and 70% complete. Fantasia, the stegosaurus, is 5.40 m long and 75% complete.
2002 Stegosaur
2024 for sale on December 12 by Christie's
The fossil skeleton of a stegosaur had been found in 2002 in the same quarry in Wyoming as the two allosaurs, adult and juvenile, narrated below. It will be sold by Christie's in the same sale, on December 12, 2024. It is estimated £ 3M, lot 1.
This stegosaur is made of 144 original fossil bone elements in black color plus casts from 3D printing for the missing bones. A plate has a fossil scar from an encounter with a predator.
It was mounted in Germany in 2023 after an additional excavation campaign. Its size is 240 x 540 x 206 cm after mounting.
This stegosaur is made of 144 original fossil bone elements in black color plus casts from 3D printing for the missing bones. A plate has a fossil scar from an encounter with a predator.
It was mounted in Germany in 2023 after an additional excavation campaign. Its size is 240 x 540 x 206 cm after mounting.
#fossil skeleton of a #stegosaur
— ArtHitParade (@ArtHitParade) November 27, 2024
For sale by @ChristiesInc https://t.co/bVSX3p5PLk
targeting the top 10 of #dinosaurs https://t.co/oaSATftT3b
1994-2002 Adult and Juvenile Allosaurs
2024 for sale on December 12 by Christie's
The allosaurus was the king of its land during the Upper Jurassic period around 155 million years ago, but its geographical distribution was apparently limited : most skeletons are excavated in Wyoming. The silting up of a river or a mudslide had buried these dinosaurs before the bodies were dislocated and the fossilized bones were kept in excellent condition.
The allosaurus has a remarkable similarity with its much later successor the Cretaceous tyrannosaurus but it is smaller. It has all the characteristics of the most formidable predators. The claws gripped and lacerated the prey and the 7 cm long teeth were curved backwards to prevent the victim from escaping. The very tall hind legs attest to its frightening power.
An adult specimen can reach ten meters, further strengthening the likeness with a tyrannosaur. A specimen with that length and mounted 3.50 m high ready for an attack was sold for € 3.07M by Binoche et Giquello on October 13, 2020, lot 140. Three ribs have traces of wounds, certainly in a fight with another beast.
Juvenile specimens are extremely rare, perhaps because their death was often due to predators that showed poor respect for the integrity of their bones. They are interesting by the proportions of their limbs still in growth phase. A juvenile allosaur 3.80 m long was sold for € 1.4M by Binoche et Giquello on April 11, 2018, lot 71. It is 60 % complete.
Two fossil skeletons of allosaurus were found and excavated in a same quarry in Wyoming. First was an adult, in 1994-1995, 182 x 560 x 260 cm after mounting. Its juvenile fellow, 153 x 346 x 84 cm, followed in 2002. Respectively 143 and 137 bone elements were collected. Color is black. They were mounted in Germany in 2022 after an additional excavation campaign. Missing bones have been cast from 3D printing material.
Their difference of proportion and thickness of shin and foot suggests that the younger was more agile, enabling it to chase small preys.
The set is not separated. It is estimated £ 5M for sale by Christie's on December 12, 2024, lot 2.
The allosaurus has a remarkable similarity with its much later successor the Cretaceous tyrannosaurus but it is smaller. It has all the characteristics of the most formidable predators. The claws gripped and lacerated the prey and the 7 cm long teeth were curved backwards to prevent the victim from escaping. The very tall hind legs attest to its frightening power.
An adult specimen can reach ten meters, further strengthening the likeness with a tyrannosaur. A specimen with that length and mounted 3.50 m high ready for an attack was sold for € 3.07M by Binoche et Giquello on October 13, 2020, lot 140. Three ribs have traces of wounds, certainly in a fight with another beast.
Juvenile specimens are extremely rare, perhaps because their death was often due to predators that showed poor respect for the integrity of their bones. They are interesting by the proportions of their limbs still in growth phase. A juvenile allosaur 3.80 m long was sold for € 1.4M by Binoche et Giquello on April 11, 2018, lot 71. It is 60 % complete.
Two fossil skeletons of allosaurus were found and excavated in a same quarry in Wyoming. First was an adult, in 1994-1995, 182 x 560 x 260 cm after mounting. Its juvenile fellow, 153 x 346 x 84 cm, followed in 2002. Respectively 143 and 137 bone elements were collected. Color is black. They were mounted in Germany in 2022 after an additional excavation campaign. Missing bones have been cast from 3D printing material.
Their difference of proportion and thickness of shin and foot suggests that the younger was more agile, enabling it to chase small preys.
The set is not separated. It is estimated £ 5M for sale by Christie's on December 12, 2024, lot 2.
Three iconic dinosaurs of the Jurassic period, unearthed in Wyoming and coming to Christie’s in London. We talk to one of the palaeontologists whose excavations uncovered a mighty Stegosaurus along with two examples of Allosaurus. Explore more here: https://t.co/xKNH3KXCgI pic.twitter.com/j5Apmi1m5B
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) December 2, 2024
2018 Vulcain the Apatosaur
2024 SOLD for € 6.1M by Barbarossa in association with Collin du Bocage
During the Jurassic around 155 million years ago, the quadruped herbivore sauropods were facing the allosaurus and other theropods in the muddy lands of current day Wyoming. Their giant size may have discouraged the predators. The neck and the stabilizing tail are extremely long, allowing these dinosaurs to feed on grasses or leaves as they fancied.
A pioneer paleontologist in the USA, Othniel Charles Marsh established a classification of the dinosaurs. Between 1872 and 1891, he named 32 genera including allosaurus, stegosaurus and triceratops.
Amidst the giant sauropods of the Late Jurassic, he described the apatosaurus in 1877, the diplodocus in 1878 and the brontosaurus in 1879.
Brontosaur became highly popular amidst the dinosaur fans. Nevertheless it is now considered by scientists as a synonym of the apatosaur. The latter name having been introduced earlier in Marsh's classification is considered as scientifically correct.
The fossil skeleton of an apatosaur-like diplocid was found in Wyoming in 2018. Prepared in France, this specimen is 20.50 m long and keeps nearly 80 % of its bones including a 50 % preserved head. Named Vulcain, it was sold for € 6.1M from a lower estimate of € 3M on November 16, 2024 by Barbarossa in association with Collin du Bocage, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Maxime Champion.
The estimated life characteristics of Vulcain are 45 years old and a weight of about 20 tons. A large protuberance wound with the fusion of five vertebrae on the tail had certainly been made by the fangs of a predator.
Vulcain does not fully match the features of the three species of an apatosaurus, so that it may tentatively be used to define a fourth species.
A pioneer paleontologist in the USA, Othniel Charles Marsh established a classification of the dinosaurs. Between 1872 and 1891, he named 32 genera including allosaurus, stegosaurus and triceratops.
Amidst the giant sauropods of the Late Jurassic, he described the apatosaurus in 1877, the diplodocus in 1878 and the brontosaurus in 1879.
Brontosaur became highly popular amidst the dinosaur fans. Nevertheless it is now considered by scientists as a synonym of the apatosaur. The latter name having been introduced earlier in Marsh's classification is considered as scientifically correct.
The fossil skeleton of an apatosaur-like diplocid was found in Wyoming in 2018. Prepared in France, this specimen is 20.50 m long and keeps nearly 80 % of its bones including a 50 % preserved head. Named Vulcain, it was sold for € 6.1M from a lower estimate of € 3M on November 16, 2024 by Barbarossa in association with Collin du Bocage, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Maxime Champion.
The estimated life characteristics of Vulcain are 45 years old and a weight of about 20 tons. A large protuberance wound with the fusion of five vertebrae on the tail had certainly been made by the fangs of a predator.
Vulcain does not fully match the features of the three species of an apatosaurus, so that it may tentatively be used to define a fourth species.
Vulcain, le plus grand squelette de dinosaure jamais vendu aux enchères, adjugé pour 6 millions d'euroshttps://t.co/zKy95iD1ow pic.twitter.com/LVfwYItJPf
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) November 16, 2024
2013-2014 Hector the Deinonychus
2022 SOLD for $ 12.4M by Christie's
Dame Nature created twice the most terrific beasts, the allosaur in the Upper Jurassic 155 million years ago and the Tyrannosaur at the end of the Cretaceous 66 million years ago. Elderly specimens from both species could grow up to more than 10 m from muzzle to tail's end.
In the mean time the carnivorous dinosaurs had not lost their domination over their territories in current day Wyoming and Montana, in a favorable environment of tropical and sub-tropical forests, lagoons, swamps, and river deltas. One of them, living during the early (lower) Cretaceous 110 million years ago, was the 3.40 m long deinonychus, a wording describing its 5-inch impaling claws.
A detailed study of a deinonychus in the 1960s led to reconsider the opinion about the behavior of the carnivorous giants, from then considered to be agile and fast in their horizontal running posture with stretched tail, so obsoleting the slow standing of the previous popular imagery. Its unusually long stretched arms were used in the attack and the large optic lobes attest for a sharp eyesight. Wrongly identified as the Velociraptor, this species became one of the star dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park franchise.
A 3 m long fossil made of 126 remaining bones was excavated in Montana in 2013-2014. Named Hector in reference to the Iliad warrior, it was sold for $ 12.4M from a lower estimate of $ 4M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 57C.
Further research on the physical capabilities of the deinonychus could help to model the transition from reptile to bird through the archaeopteryx, in the Jurassic, 40 million years earlier.
In the mean time the carnivorous dinosaurs had not lost their domination over their territories in current day Wyoming and Montana, in a favorable environment of tropical and sub-tropical forests, lagoons, swamps, and river deltas. One of them, living during the early (lower) Cretaceous 110 million years ago, was the 3.40 m long deinonychus, a wording describing its 5-inch impaling claws.
A detailed study of a deinonychus in the 1960s led to reconsider the opinion about the behavior of the carnivorous giants, from then considered to be agile and fast in their horizontal running posture with stretched tail, so obsoleting the slow standing of the previous popular imagery. Its unusually long stretched arms were used in the attack and the large optic lobes attest for a sharp eyesight. Wrongly identified as the Velociraptor, this species became one of the star dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park franchise.
A 3 m long fossil made of 126 remaining bones was excavated in Montana in 2013-2014. Named Hector in reference to the Iliad warrior, it was sold for $ 12.4M from a lower estimate of $ 4M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 57C.
Further research on the physical capabilities of the deinonychus could help to model the transition from reptile to bird through the archaeopteryx, in the Jurassic, 40 million years earlier.
#AuctionUpdate In an exhilarating end to our Evening Sales, THE RAPTOR sold with a price realized of $12.4 million pic.twitter.com/uaVEkGtOmk
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 13, 2022
2002 Horus the Pteranodon
2023 SOLD for $ 3.9M by Sotheby's
The pterosaurs existed in the same time range as their cousins the dinosaurs, from 230 million to 65 million years. With a 12 m maximum known wingspan, these reptiles were the largest animals ever to be capable of powered flight. Appearing 160 million years ago, the pterodactyls belong to their order.
The pteranodon is a toothless variety of pterodactyls with a long backwards cranial crest. The compared ratio of wingspan and chord length leads to suggest that its flight was similar to that of modern day albatross, mostly soaring under wind with short burst of flapping.
A fossil skeleton of a pteranodon that lived about 85 million years ago in current day Kansas has been unearthed in 2002, in the discovery county of the species, in a former seabed under chalk sediments. It is nicknamed Horus by reference to the Egyptian falcon god. Its 6 m wingspan and 3 m overall length are typical of a male adult of its variety.
Horus is made of slightly more than 100 remaining fossil bones including a nearly full wing with its phalanges. Many vertebrae, most of a foot and part of the pelvis are also remaining. The fossilization of its thin bones is better preserved than usual for its species. The absent elements have been replaced by using a 3D printing technique.
The articulated skeleton is displayed with wings outstretched in a soaring position and mounted on a bronze armature rigged for ceiling suspension. It was sold for $ 3.9M by Sotheby's on July 26, 2023, lot 6.
The pteranodon is a toothless variety of pterodactyls with a long backwards cranial crest. The compared ratio of wingspan and chord length leads to suggest that its flight was similar to that of modern day albatross, mostly soaring under wind with short burst of flapping.
A fossil skeleton of a pteranodon that lived about 85 million years ago in current day Kansas has been unearthed in 2002, in the discovery county of the species, in a former seabed under chalk sediments. It is nicknamed Horus by reference to the Egyptian falcon god. Its 6 m wingspan and 3 m overall length are typical of a male adult of its variety.
Horus is made of slightly more than 100 remaining fossil bones including a nearly full wing with its phalanges. Many vertebrae, most of a foot and part of the pelvis are also remaining. The fossilization of its thin bones is better preserved than usual for its species. The absent elements have been replaced by using a 3D printing technique.
The articulated skeleton is displayed with wings outstretched in a soaring position and mounted on a bronze armature rigged for ceiling suspension. It was sold for $ 3.9M by Sotheby's on July 26, 2023, lot 6.
2018 Gorgosaur
2022 SOLD for $ 6.1M by Sotheby's
Gorgosaurus, the dreadful lizard, is a genus of the Tyrannosaurid family. It lived in the late Cretaceous around 77 million years ago, 10 million years before the T. Rex, in the same marshy shores of an inland sea that divided the current time North America. About 20 specimens are known, to be compared with the more than 50 T. Rex.
Both bipedal beasts look very similar. Slightly smaller, Gorgosaurus had the more powerful biting force and muscular legs that enabled a more speedy run balanced by its long tail.
The incomplete fossil skeleton of a gorgosaurus was excavated in Montana in 2018. It has 79 elements, the rest of it being replaced by casts for its exhibition mounting. The left side of the skull is the best preserved with its maxilla and its three bones that compose the rounded orbit. The axial skeleton is also well preserved from cervical to caudal.
This prepared specimen is 2.80 m high and 6.70 m long. The dimension of the skull is 98 x 67 x 43 cm.
This fossil was sold for $ 6.1M by Sotheby's on July 28, 2022, lot 201.
Both bipedal beasts look very similar. Slightly smaller, Gorgosaurus had the more powerful biting force and muscular legs that enabled a more speedy run balanced by its long tail.
The incomplete fossil skeleton of a gorgosaurus was excavated in Montana in 2018. It has 79 elements, the rest of it being replaced by casts for its exhibition mounting. The left side of the skull is the best preserved with its maxilla and its three bones that compose the rounded orbit. The axial skeleton is also well preserved from cervical to caudal.
This prepared specimen is 2.80 m high and 6.70 m long. The dimension of the skull is 98 x 67 x 43 cm.
This fossil was sold for $ 6.1M by Sotheby's on July 28, 2022, lot 201.
Unlike most dinosaur specimens that have come to market before, the buyer of this Gorgosaurus will also get to name it! pic.twitter.com/VcjbV7ugc3
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) July 20, 2022
□ Un squelette de Gorgosaurus découvert en 2018 dans le Montana va être mis en vente chez Sotheby's, le premier du genre à être disponible aux enchères ⤵️
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) July 6, 2022
□ @DDesobeau #AFP #AFPTV pic.twitter.com/KBikWxDsbU
Tyrannosaur
1
1987 Stan
2020 SOLD for $ 32M by Christie's
The successive discoveries of tyrannosaur fossil skeletons allow us to better understand the characteristics of this beast which lived at the end of the Cretaceous just before the final disaster of that era 66 million years ago. Stan is one of the specimens which provided the most elements to these analyzes.
We have to face the facts : the tyrannosaurus, a distant successor to the allosaurus, had characteristics much more efficient than humans, in terms of sight and smell, running speed, strength and appetite. I have no reliable data about its intelligence.
The deposits are mainly concentrated on the Hell Creek Formation, an island continent bordering Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming. In the lifetime of the terrible lizards, it was a coastal plain filled with swamps, forests and estuaries. The sediments had been displaced by the slow rising of the Rocky Mountains down to a width of 100 m or more in which the discovery of fossils is virtually unlimited.
The distribution of the species was possibly wider, but the swamps of these Badlands originally limited the dispersal of the skeletons and provided good conditions for fossilization.
Hell Creek has been known since the beginning of the 20th century as a reservoir of tyrannosaurs. More than 50 specimens have been found.
It was an amateur prospector who discovered in 1987 the hip bones of a specimen that was given his own first name, Stan. An error in paleontological interpretation delayed the researches. The excavation required 30,000 hours of work between 1992 and 1995. This male tyrannosaurus, approximately 70% complete in mass, is one of the largest specimens, measuring 11.3 m between the muzzle and the tip of the tail.
Traces on the bones provide valuable informations on the life of prehistoric animals. Stan had lesions created by the teeth of other tyrannosaurs. His broken neck had been healed by fusion of two injured vertebrae. He ate an edmontosaurus and a triceratops just before his death. In our time he plays the stars with more than 60 complete casts for use in museums and exhibitions.
The fossil includes 188 original pieces, compared with the 350 bones of a complete animal. The skull is almost perfect. Missing elements are represented by casts. It was sold for $ 32M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Christie's on October 6, 2020, lot 59. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Stan deserves a similar notoriety as Sue, the 12.3 m long male tyrannosaurus found by a lady named Sue in 1990, which was sold for $ 8.4M by Sotheby's in 1997.
We have to face the facts : the tyrannosaurus, a distant successor to the allosaurus, had characteristics much more efficient than humans, in terms of sight and smell, running speed, strength and appetite. I have no reliable data about its intelligence.
The deposits are mainly concentrated on the Hell Creek Formation, an island continent bordering Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming. In the lifetime of the terrible lizards, it was a coastal plain filled with swamps, forests and estuaries. The sediments had been displaced by the slow rising of the Rocky Mountains down to a width of 100 m or more in which the discovery of fossils is virtually unlimited.
The distribution of the species was possibly wider, but the swamps of these Badlands originally limited the dispersal of the skeletons and provided good conditions for fossilization.
Hell Creek has been known since the beginning of the 20th century as a reservoir of tyrannosaurs. More than 50 specimens have been found.
It was an amateur prospector who discovered in 1987 the hip bones of a specimen that was given his own first name, Stan. An error in paleontological interpretation delayed the researches. The excavation required 30,000 hours of work between 1992 and 1995. This male tyrannosaurus, approximately 70% complete in mass, is one of the largest specimens, measuring 11.3 m between the muzzle and the tip of the tail.
Traces on the bones provide valuable informations on the life of prehistoric animals. Stan had lesions created by the teeth of other tyrannosaurs. His broken neck had been healed by fusion of two injured vertebrae. He ate an edmontosaurus and a triceratops just before his death. In our time he plays the stars with more than 60 complete casts for use in museums and exhibitions.
The fossil includes 188 original pieces, compared with the 350 bones of a complete animal. The skull is almost perfect. Missing elements are represented by casts. It was sold for $ 32M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Christie's on October 6, 2020, lot 59. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Stan deserves a similar notoriety as Sue, the 12.3 m long male tyrannosaurus found by a lady named Sue in 1990, which was sold for $ 8.4M by Sotheby's in 1997.
#AuctionUpdate @ChristiesInc sets a #WorldAuctionRecord for a #TyrannosaurusRex named #STAN which sold for $31,847,500 #crushing the estimate of $6-8M. pic.twitter.com/0QM9iWMKjt
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) October 7, 2020
2
1990 Sue
1997 SOLD for $ 8.4M by Sotheby's
On August 12, 1990 a team of paleontologists completed an excavation campaign in the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Upon leaving, they notice that a tire of the truck is flat. Sue Hendrickson takes advantage of this downtime to go to a cliff unexplored by the group. She finds the fossil remains of a tyrannosaurus rex that will be identified by her first name, Sue.
The bones had not been scattered. The animal had lived about 67 million years ago and probably died in a stream of water that pushed it against some obstacle.
The tyrannosaurus is the most spectacular of the dinosaurs, and Sue was the largest and most complete specimen at the time of its excavation. The skeleton is 90% complete by mass and 73% by the number of elements. The cranial fossil weighs 270 kg and is 1.40 m long and the teeth are almost intact.
The owner of the land, a member of the Sioux tribe, claimed that the team had paid him the right to take and clean up the fossil, but not the transfer of ownership. Justice follows and he becomes the sole owner of Sue. He then commissioned Sotheby's to manage the auction. Due to Sue's exceptional scientific interest, paleontologists were worried about the risk of purchase for a private collection.
Nothing equivalent had happened on the market. On October 4, 1997 the bidding was started at $ 500K. Sue was sold for $ 8.4M to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
At the time of the sale, this dinosaur had been identified as exceptional but had never been mounted. Its exhibition at the Field Museum was inaugurated in May 2000. Scientific investigations have not been interrupted. The age of the animal is estimated at 28 years, making it until 2013 the dean of the tyrannosaurs. It was 12.30 m long and 4 m high at the hips and its weight in life was estimated at about 10 tons.
The image is shared by Wikimedia with attribution to the user Zissoudisctrucker. It shows Sue in its most recent display configuration at the Field Museum.
The bones had not been scattered. The animal had lived about 67 million years ago and probably died in a stream of water that pushed it against some obstacle.
The tyrannosaurus is the most spectacular of the dinosaurs, and Sue was the largest and most complete specimen at the time of its excavation. The skeleton is 90% complete by mass and 73% by the number of elements. The cranial fossil weighs 270 kg and is 1.40 m long and the teeth are almost intact.
The owner of the land, a member of the Sioux tribe, claimed that the team had paid him the right to take and clean up the fossil, but not the transfer of ownership. Justice follows and he becomes the sole owner of Sue. He then commissioned Sotheby's to manage the auction. Due to Sue's exceptional scientific interest, paleontologists were worried about the risk of purchase for a private collection.
Nothing equivalent had happened on the market. On October 4, 1997 the bidding was started at $ 500K. Sue was sold for $ 8.4M to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
At the time of the sale, this dinosaur had been identified as exceptional but had never been mounted. Its exhibition at the Field Museum was inaugurated in May 2000. Scientific investigations have not been interrupted. The age of the animal is estimated at 28 years, making it until 2013 the dean of the tyrannosaurs. It was 12.30 m long and 4 m high at the hips and its weight in life was estimated at about 10 tons.
The image is shared by Wikimedia with attribution to the user Zissoudisctrucker. It shows Sue in its most recent display configuration at the Field Museum.
3
2020-2021 Maximus Rex
2022 SOLD for $ 6.1M by Sotheby's
Maximus Rex (greatest king) is the name of the fossil skeleton of Tyrannosaurus Rex excavated over two seasons in 2020 and 2021. The beast is a contemporary neighbor of Stan and Sue from Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota.
Maximus was a large adult specimen. Its 135 cm skull is one of the best ever discovered with 30 of the 39 bones remaining, preserved in fine details. All the tooth bearing jaw elements are present with no less than 29 teeth in various states of completeness. Most of the post cranial has been destroyed by erosion.
The pathologies include bite marks and parasitic holes plus traces from bone infections. Insect borings suggest that the carcass had not been immediately covered.
The skull displayed on an iron pedestal was sold for $ 6.1M by Sotheby's on December 9, 2022, lot 1. Its articulated assembly with jaws opened includes casts of the missing bones.
The post cranial fragments are joined to the lot. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The skull is the major element enabling to distinct a Tyrannosaurus Rex from the other Tyrannosauridae species which include the albertosaurus and the slighty earlier gorgosaurus.
Maximus was a large adult specimen. Its 135 cm skull is one of the best ever discovered with 30 of the 39 bones remaining, preserved in fine details. All the tooth bearing jaw elements are present with no less than 29 teeth in various states of completeness. Most of the post cranial has been destroyed by erosion.
The pathologies include bite marks and parasitic holes plus traces from bone infections. Insect borings suggest that the carcass had not been immediately covered.
The skull displayed on an iron pedestal was sold for $ 6.1M by Sotheby's on December 9, 2022, lot 1. Its articulated assembly with jaws opened includes casts of the missing bones.
The post cranial fragments are joined to the lot. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The skull is the major element enabling to distinct a Tyrannosaurus Rex from the other Tyrannosauridae species which include the albertosaurus and the slighty earlier gorgosaurus.
A ferocious visitor has arrived at #SothebysNewYork! This fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex skull (named Maximus!) is one of the best and most complete of its kind ever discovered.
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) November 8, 2022
Visit Maximus in our York Ave galleries before his auction this December. pic.twitter.com/7BaoweZFGP
4
2023 Trinity
2023 SOLD for CHF 5.5M by Koller
A composite fossil skeleton of Tyrannosaurus Rex was sold for CHF 5.5M by Koller in April 18, 2023, lot 979.
This dinosaur named Trinity is made of three specimens of comparable size which were unearthed between 2008 and 2013 from the Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations in Montana and Wyoming.
Such an assembly typically requires seven to ten years of work according to the auction house. Trinity is announced as coming from a US private collection.
It is about 50 % original with 293 bones representing all body parts assembled in an overall size of 11.6 × 3.9 × 2.65 m. A traceability of the merging of the elements from the three originals is provided by the auction house. The skull length is 1.4 m from only the Lance Creek specimen. The origin of most of the teeth is not identified in the skeleton map.
This dinosaur named Trinity is made of three specimens of comparable size which were unearthed between 2008 and 2013 from the Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations in Montana and Wyoming.
Such an assembly typically requires seven to ten years of work according to the auction house. Trinity is announced as coming from a US private collection.
It is about 50 % original with 293 bones representing all body parts assembled in an overall size of 11.6 × 3.9 × 2.65 m. A traceability of the merging of the elements from the three originals is provided by the auction house. The skull length is 1.4 m from only the Lance Creek specimen. The origin of most of the teeth is not identified in the skeleton map.
A Belgian art foundation has made an incredible purchase of a rare and impressive specimen - #Trinity the T-Rex.
— Barnebys.co.uk (@Barnebysuk) May 10, 2023
It is the first #TRex skeleton sold on the European auction market and it will be publicly exhibited in Antwerp:
2014 Big John the Triceratops
2021 SOLD for € 6.7M by Binoche et Giquello
In the popular imagery, the quadruped herbivore dinosaur Triceratops is the heavily armored giant rival of the tyrannosaurus, around 66 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous.
A triceratops skull excavated in Hell Creek in 2018 is 2.20 m long and 85 cm wide with its eponymous forehead horns about 75 cm long was sold for $ 500K by Sotheby's on April 28, 2021, lot 1.
On October 21, 2021, Binoche et Giquello sold for € 6.7M from a lower estimate of € 1.2M the fossil of Big John, considered as the largest known full triceratops, lot 1. It is illustrated in the pre sale release shared by Drouot.
The skeleton made of nearly 200 bones is 7.15 m long and 2.70 m high at the hip. The skull is 2.62 m long and the two major horns are 1.10 m long on a 30 cm base. The skeleton is 75 % complete for the skull and more than 60 % complete overall.
Big John had been wounded and probably killed in battle as evidenced with a severe tear below the neck, made from the horn of a similar beast. It has been discovered in 2014 in South Dakota and cleaned at the Zoic workshop in Trieste. Its displayed position ready to charge is inspired from the Wall Street Bull.
A triceratops skull excavated in Hell Creek in 2018 is 2.20 m long and 85 cm wide with its eponymous forehead horns about 75 cm long was sold for $ 500K by Sotheby's on April 28, 2021, lot 1.
On October 21, 2021, Binoche et Giquello sold for € 6.7M from a lower estimate of € 1.2M the fossil of Big John, considered as the largest known full triceratops, lot 1. It is illustrated in the pre sale release shared by Drouot.
The skeleton made of nearly 200 bones is 7.15 m long and 2.70 m high at the hip. The skull is 2.62 m long and the two major horns are 1.10 m long on a 30 cm base. The skeleton is 75 % complete for the skull and more than 60 % complete overall.
Big John had been wounded and probably killed in battle as evidenced with a severe tear below the neck, made from the horn of a similar beast. It has been discovered in 2014 in South Dakota and cleaned at the Zoic workshop in Trieste. Its displayed position ready to charge is inspired from the Wall Street Bull.
6 651 100 € !
— Drouot (@Drouot) October 21, 2021
C’est le résultat aux enchères de Big John, le plus grand tricératops découvert à ce jour, sous le marteau de Maître Giquello □□
□□ @BGiquello pic.twitter.com/YKlg9Vgszl
Big John, le plus grand Tricératops connu, exposé à Paris avant d'être vendu aux enchères https://t.co/EVefTsVy9A pic.twitter.com/kaYyozB7Jn
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) August 30, 2021
