A 150 million-year-old Stegosaurus became the most valuable fossil ever sold at auction last night when it sold for $44.6 million at Sotheby’s (including fees). The total smashes the previous auction record for a fossilized dinosaur, the $31.8 million paid in 2010 for “Stan,” a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton sold at Christie’s.
The price achieved for “Apex” was more than 11 times its low estimate of $4 million and was the top lot from the Sotheby’s Natural History auction in New York. Bidding for the skeleton escalated rapidly between seven bidders and culminated in a sale to an anonymous buyer who, according to the Financial Times, is the billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin. The newspaper reported that Griffin plans to loan the fossil to a U.S. institution.
“I am thrilled that such an important specimen has now taken its place in history, some 150 million years since it roamed the planet,” said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s global head of science and popular culture “This remarkable result underscores our unwavering commitment to preserving these ancient treasures.”
Discovered in 2022 by commercial paleontologist Jason Cooper in the town of Dinosaur, Colorado, “Apex” measures 27 feet long and 11 feet tall. The skeleton is nearly complete, with 254 out of an estimated 319 bone elements intact. Its excellent condition and detailed preservation are what make it a particularly valuable lot.
This New York auction marked the highest total ever for a Sotheby’s Natural History auction, totaling $45.8 million—surpassing its pre-sale estimate of $4.9 million–$7.4 million. In addition to the Stegosaurus skeleton, the event featured fossils, meteorites, minerals, Paleolithic tools, and more.
Notable lots from the include a lunar meteorite shaped like a sphere that sold for $40,800, quadrupling its high estimate of $4,000–$6,000, and a large iridescent ammonite also drew significant interest, selling for $72,000, above its $30,000–$50,000 estimate.
The first-ever dinosaur to tell at auction was “Sue,” a Tyrannosaurus rex that sold for $8.4 million in 1997, according to Sotheby’s.
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