![]() ![]() Although it was obtained by a museum, the big dollar sign encouraged the public to find prehistoric remains and sell them to the highest bidderīIG JOHN: THE MOST EXPENSIVE TRICERATOPS EVER SOLDĭiscovered by Walter Stein in 2014 when he was exploring a ranch in Perkins County, South Dakota, this specimen was sent to an auction house in France where it was bought for a whopping $7.7 million to an anonymous private collector from the U.S. And after eight minutes, it was Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History that won.Īuctioning of dinosaurs began when Sue (pictured), a T.rex, was sold for $8.4 million. Sue was put up for sale in Sotheby's art auction in 1997 and nine bidders went head-to-head for the dinosaur. After hearing this, Williams said he gave the scientists permission to search the property, but not take anything they found.įederal agents seized Sue in 1992 on the grounds that government permission had not been granted for the removal of the fossil from federal lands and a year later, Sue was given to Williams who brought it to auction. rex, but Larson began to receive sizable offers for the T.rex shortly after it was pulled from the ground. Larson paid Williams $5,000 to take the T. However, it was discovered by paleontologist Susan Hendrickson, the scientist for whom the specimen is named, and paleontologist Peter Larson. Sue was found on Augon the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation in South Dakota that was owned by Maurice Williams. It was the first ever dinosaur to be showcased at Sotheby's.Īlthough Sue was purchased by the Chicago-based Field Museum, the hefty price tag opened the floodgates for auction and was enough to encourage the public to search for fossilized remains and sell them for top dollar amounts. rex nicknamed Sue sold at auction for $8.4 million in 1997. The market for dinosaur bones heated up after a T. He said that Trinity 'really isn't a "specimen" so much as it is an art installation', and took issue with auctions that make millions from dinosaur skeletons and fossils.Įxperts have warned such trade could be harmful to science by putting the specimens in private hands and out of the reach of researchers.īut Christian Link of Koller stressed that 95 per cent of the roughly 30 known T Rex. to combine multiple real bones from different individuals to create a single skeleton.' Thomas Holtz, a vertebrate palaeontologist from the University of Maryland, said it was 'misleading' and 'inappropriate. However, not all have been so positive about the sale of a composite skeleton. 'I'm 100 per cent sure we will see Trinity in the future somewhere again,' he said. But here we have truly original Tyrannosaurus skull bones that all originate from the same specimen.'Īuctioneer Cyril Koller Koller voiced optimism that, although the skeleton had been sold to a private buyer, it would remain on public display. 'In fact, most dinosaurs are found without their skull. 'When dinosaurs died in the Jurassic or Cretaceous periods, they often lost their heads during deposition ,' said scientific adviser Nils Knoetschke. Koller auction house said Trinity's skull was particularly rare and also remarkably well-preserved. ![]() It had an estimated hammer price of between $5.6 million and $8.9 million (£4.5 million and £7.2 million) Trinity went for less than expected at yesterday's auction. That same year, experts found that there were 2.5 billion T Rex. roaming North America over 2.5 million years in the Late Cretaceous. Rex is estimated to have weighed between 11,000 and 15,500 pounds (5,000 and 7,000 kg), about the same as a male African elephant.īut a study in November published evidence that the great beast could actually have weighed up to 33,000 pounds (15,000 kg).Īn analysis of the dinosaur's tail in 2021 determined that it enjoyed a 'leisurely' stroll at just 2.8 miles per hour (4.6 kph). ![]() Trinity's skull was set up next to the auctioneer's podium as the sale went through. I hope it's going to be shown somewhere in public.' 'It could be that it was a composite - that could be why the purists didn't go for it,' said Karl Green, the auction house's marketing director. ![]() This did not include the buyer's premium and auction fees which brought the total up to $6.1 million (£4.9 million). However, it was bought by a 'European private collector' who made a winning bid of $5.3 million (£4.3 million). It had an estimated hammer price of between $5.6 million and $8.9 million (£4.5 million and £7.2 million), after it was put for sale by an anonymous US private individual. Trinity went for less than expected at yesterday's auction, which was part of a wider sale of artefacts called 'Out of This World'. The fossilised bones were found between 20 in the Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations of Montana and Wyoming, and were shipped to Switzerland in nine giant crates. ![]()
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