Photo by Matthew Sherman / Courtesy of Sotheby’s
“Gus” is considered one of the best-preserved specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex. The skeleton consists of 183 fossilized bones, which represents approximately 63% of the original skeleton, according to the AP. Paleontologists discovered it in 2021 on a private ranch in the U.S. state of South Dakota.
The specimen is 11.6 meters long, making it one of the largest known Tyrannosaurus rex specimens. Experts estimate that the predator lived 72–66 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period, shortly before the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.
The sale has once again drawn attention to the rapidly growing market for fossil remains. In recent years, prices for rare paleontological finds have risen to tens of millions of dollars, but this trend has drawn criticism from the scientific community. Many paleontologists believe that unique finds should enrich museum collections and remain accessible for research, rather than ending up in private collections.
Cassandra Hatton, head of Sotheby’s Science and Natural History department, explained that the United States remains the only country where such finds can be privately owned.
According to her, if a fossil is discovered on private land, the landowner has the legal right to dispose of it, including selling it on the open market. It is precisely this feature of U.S. law that has made the United States the world’s largest center for the trade in dinosaur fossils.
The current deal broke the previous record set in the summer of 2024. At that time, the skeleton of a stegosaurus nicknamed “Apex” was sold at auction for $44.6 million. The buyer was American billionaire and founder of the hedge fund Citadel, Ken Griffin.
The record-breaking sale of “Gusa” confirms that the market for rare paleontological finds continues to rise rapidly in value, and the competition for the most valuable specimens extends far beyond the museum community, turning these fossil giants into some of the most expensive collectibles in the world.
