Just over half of the bone material in the skeleton comes from the three Tyrannosaurus specimens, he said. Link said Koller was intent on being open and transparent about the origins of the bones that make up Trinity. Last year, Christie's withdrew another T-Rex skeleton-also excavated from Montana-days before it went to auction in Hong Kong, after doubts were reportedly raised about parts of the skeleton. The two sites are known for the discoveries of two other significant T-Rex skeletons that have gone to auction: Sue went under the hammer in 1997 for $8.4 million, and Stan, which took the world-record hammer price of $31.8 million at Christie's, in 2020. They were excavated between 20 from the Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations in Montana and Wyoming in the United States, the auction catalog said. The Trinity skeleton is made up of bone material from three T-Rex specimens. Koller pointed to a 2021 study in the scientific journal Nature indicating that only 32 skeletons of adult T-Rex's-one of the largest terrestrial predators ever to walk the Earth-had been found worldwide.
The sale would mark "the first time in Europe and only the third time worldwide (that) a skeleton of an entire T-Rex dinosaur of exceptional quality will be offered at auction". Trinity is "one of the most spectacular T-Rex skeletons in existence, a well-preserved and brilliantly restored fossil," the auction house said. Towering 3.9 meters (12.8 feet) in the air, Trinity has been valued at between six to eight million Swiss francs ($6.5-8.7 million), according to the auction catalog.īut Christian Link, in charge of natural history memorabilia at Koller, told AFP he believed that was a "very low estimate". To strengthen the buyer's confidence, the purchase is accompanied by full documentation certifying condition, authenticity, and legality of ownership, including osteograph, bone inventory, field photographs, and preparation notes.The skeleton dubbed Trinity will go under the hammer in Zurich on April 18, the Koller auction house said. Comparisons have also determined it to be the skull of an adult individual. rex skull was unearthed had been severely weathered over time, and most of the skeleton was destroyed by erosion by a great stroke of luck, the skull survived. Extremely rare for a specimen of its kind, all the tooth bearing jaw elements are preserved, as are most of the external bones on both right and left sides of the skull. With an imposing height of 202.5 cm, the 67-million-year-old skull is one of the most complete skull of its kind ever discovered, with 30 of the 39 total bones of being original. Named Maximus, its title conferred upon the greatest of military commanders in Ancient Rome, honoring its reputation as a hunter and fighter. Stan, the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction In a market driven by confidence, such cancellation might have cooled the enthusiasm for dinosaur fossils.Īlthough the Maximus fell short of expectation, Sotheby's wrote in a statement that they were pleased with the result. As the no-reserve auction was designed to gauge the market, it has now set a new benchmark for dinosaur fossils at auction. Rex, which had been expected to bring in US$15 to 20 million, was forced to be pulled after questions regarding the number of original bones in the skeleton arose. Last month, a Hong Kong auction of a larger T. With concerns raised by academic paleontologists, the recent sky-high fossil sales have been surrounded by quite a bit of controversies. Excavated over field seasons in 20 on private land, Hell Creek Formation, Harding County, South Dakota.Weight: Approximately 160.25 lbs with stand: 609 lbs Hell Creek Formation, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous (approx.
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