Sotheby's sells dinosaur skeleton for 45 Million Dollars
A Stegosaurus Skeleton causes unexpected excitement in the luxury auction house Sotheby's. Seven bidders argue over the 150 million year old remains. In the end, an anonymous phone bidder wins.
The largest Stegosaurus Skeleton ever found was sold in New York for a record sum of 44.6 million US dollars (around 40.8 million Euro). After a fifteen-minute bidding war between seven interested parties, an Anonymous buyer received the bid, according to Sotheby's.
This Stegosaurus Skeleton is now the most expensive fossil ever sold at auction. The giant skeleton, named Apex, is over three meters high and about eight meters long and was discovered in Colorado. According to Sotheby's, it is "the most complete and best preserved" specimen of its kind. Out of the estimated 319 Dinosaur bone fragments, 254 have been found and preserved.
Stegosaurus means "Roof Lizard" in translation, referring to the prominent, roof-like plates on the Dinosaur's back. The buyer hinted that he would lend the piece to a US museum institution, Sotheby's announced.
Bidders compete for Dinosaur skeleton
Originally, Sotheby's had hoped for a sale of the approximately 150 million year old fossil for between four and six million US dollars (3.7-5.5 million Euro), but the sum quickly rose in the face of numerous phone bidders, causing applause in the auction room. "Do you need a cigarette?" asked the auctioneer Cassandra Hatton, Global Science Director at Sotheby's, after the record bid.
Dinosaur skeletons have been auctioned off in recent years. In the summer of 2020, "Stan", the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton in the world, found a new owner for the record price of 31.8 million US dollars.
The record-breaking sale of the Stegosaurus Skeleton at Sotheby's sparked interest in future Dinosaurian auctions. This year, another significant Dinosaur skeleton, potentially a Dinosaurians, is expected to be put up for auction at Sotheby's International.
Despite the high price tag of 150 million year old Dinosaur remains consistently reaching new heights at auctions like Sotheby's, the excitement surrounding each discovery remains undiminished.
