Your bones - Dino-Skeleton sets record price at auction
A roughly 150 million year old Skeleton of a Stegosaurus was sold at an Auction in New York for nearly 45 Million Dollars (around 40 Million Euro) at Sotheby's on X platform. According to Sotheby's, after a fifteen-minute bidding war between seven interested parties, an anonymous bidder won the lot for 44.6 Million Dollars.
Originally, the auction house had only anticipated a price of up to six Million Dollars. The buyer hinted that he would lend the piece to a museum institution in the United States.
The approximately eight meter long and 3.5 meter high Skeleton, named "Apex", was discovered in the US state of Colorado in 2022. According to the auction house, the skeleton, from snout to tail tip, is "incredibly well preserved". It consists of around 254 fossilized bone elements - the animal had originally had approximately 319. For the missing elements, artificial ones were used.
The overall size and development of the bones indicated that the Dino had reached maturity. Indications of arthritis suggested that it had reached a great age.
In recent years, Dinosaur Skeletons or parts of them have been sold for millions at auctions. Many experts view the auction of scientifically valuable skeletons critically.
The sale of the Stegosaurus skeleton at Sotheby's in New York set a record sum for dinosaur auctions in the United States of America, reaching nearly 45 million dollars. This record-breaking price surpassed the auction house's initial anticipation of up to six million dollars. This significant skeleton, named "Apex," was discovered in Colorado, making its journey to become the most expensive dinosaur skeleton ever sold at a Sotheby's auction.
Despite the controversy surrounding the auction of scientifically valuable skeletons, the buyer of "Apex" has expressed plans to lend it to a museum institution within the United States of America. The new acquisition by Sotheby's Holdings is a testament to the growing interest in dinosaur fossils as high-value collectibles in the realm of science and art.
