A Tyrannosaurus rex fossil billed as one of the world’s largest and most complete specimens was sold for a record US$50.1 million on Tuesday to a mystery bidder.
Sotheby’s said the 67-million-year-old fossil, nicknamed “Gus,” is the most expensive set of dinosaur bones ever auctioned off, besting the almost US$45 million price tag for a nearly complete stegosaurus sold by the same New York auction house in 2024. The previous record holder had been a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed “Stan” that sold for nearly US$32 million in 2020.
“Gus is not only an exceptional find, but a specimen that’s been excavated, documented, prepared and cared for with real excellence,” Sotheby’s vice chair Cassandra Hatton said after the sale was completed.
Photo: AFP
Standing upright with its tail extended and right foot slightly raised, “Gus” is an adult dinosaur specimen measuring about 3.8m tall and 11.5m long.
He is about 61 percent complete, with what Sotheby’s describes as an “exceptionally preserved” skull, including a gaping jaw of powerful teeth, two “well represented” feet and a number of rarely found bones, including a furcula, or wishbone.
The fossil was discovered in 2021 on a ranch in South Dakota and named in honor of property owner Gary Licking, who died during the roughly five-year excavation, restoration and mounting process.
The auction house said the winner, who participated by phone and wants to remain anonymous, outbid six other prospective buyers during Tuesday’s 10-minute bidding battle.
The piece had been estimated to fetch anywhere from US$20 million to US$30 million ahead of the sale.
“Try a bigger bite,” auctioneer Phyllis Kao cajoled the bidders at one point during the auction, which was conducted live and online. “It’s a T. rex, after all.”
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, an advocacy group of scientists, academics and students, said scientifically significant fossils such as “Gus” should be publicly displayed in museums and other research institutions so that they can be “preserved, documented and accessible for future generations.”
“Our hope is that the new owner recognizes the extraordinary scientific and educational value of Gus the T. rex and that they aim to keep it in the public trust by immediately donating it to an accredited natural history museum,” society president-elect Kristi Curry Rogers said in a statement. “That outcome would ensure that this remarkable specimen continues to advance science, rather than becoming unavailable for study.”
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