CNN
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A stegosaurus skeleton described as the “most complete and best-preserved” of its kind ever found is expected to fetch up to $6 million at auction this summer — but not everyone is happy about it.
The “exceptional” and “virtually complete” dinosaur fossil, which is 11 feet tall and 20 feet long, will be sold as part of Sotheby’s annual Nerd Week.
Paleontologists question the sale of such specimens to private dealers, arguing that such finds should be preserved in museums or other public places.
However, that won’t stop the auction for the 150-million-year-old fossil from going ahead in New York on July 17.
Apex, as it has been named, is “the finest stegosaurus specimen ever to come to market,” Sotheby’s said in a press release Wednesday. It is expected to fetch between $4 million and $6 million, making it one of the most valuable dinosaur fossils ever offered for sale, the auction house added.
Characterized by its distinctive shape, Stegosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur with a small head and bony plates running down its back, ending in a spiked tail.
A commercial paleontologist named Jason Cooper discovered Apex on his private land in Colorado, and Sotheby’s said he was involved in the process from the beginning.
The auction house works closely with Cooper to “document the entire process, from discovery and excavation to restoration, preparation and mounting, ensuring that the documentation and sale of the specimen is handled with the highest standards and transparency.”
This collaboration, it said, “continues Sotheby’s legacy of pioneering natural history auctions.”
Sotheby’s
The fossil, named Apex, was discovered by a commercial paleontologist on his private land in Colorado.
However, some see it differently.
Steve Brusat, professor of paleontology and evolution at the University of Scotland in Edinburgh, described the specimen as “an important dinosaur fossil,” especially since it has “much less good (stegosaurus) skeletons than other known dinosaurs like T. rex and Triceratops.”
That, according to Brusat, is part of the reason it didn’t fall into private hands.
“If what the auction house says is true and what I see in these photos is real, then this skeleton really belongs in a museum where it can be preserved, studied by scientists and put on display to inspire people from all walks of life,” he said in an email to CNN on Thursday.
“It’s a great shame when a fossil like this, which could educate and pique the curiosity of so many people, just disappears into an oligarch’s mansion.”
“Apex” was discovered in the Morrison Formation in Moffat County, Colorado — and very appropriately near the town of Dinosaur — in May 2022. It took more than a year to fully excavate the specimen, which was found to have evidence of arthritis. suggesting it lived to an advanced age, with no signs of combat or predation-related injuries.
The highest bidder will receive a copy of the dinosaur scan data, plus a full license to use any 3D data as they see fit. This, according to Sotheby’s, “will allow primary information about the dinosaur to remain in the specimen and encourage collaboration in future research and education.”
Sotheby’s
There were no signs of injury on the specimen, but there was evidence of arthritis, suggesting the dinosaur lived to an advanced age.
Brusatte, however, argued that research and education would be best served if the fossil were owned by an institution with expertise in dinosaurs.
“The super rich will always be able to outbid museums when a dinosaur is sold on the open market, so I hope that if there is someone with the means to buy a fossil like this and this fossil captures their imagination, that they donate it to a museum.” Brusat said.
“What a legacy that would be – to have your dinosaur on public display, to have your name enshrined as the donor who saved the dinosaur for science, as children and families walk around and gaze at this great prehistoric creature.”
The Natural History Museum in London is home to Sophie, a comparable fossil – although Apex is at least 30% larger, according to Sotheby’s.
Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s global head of science and popular culture, described the Apex as “simply one of the finest fossils of its kind ever discovered”.
Visitors to Sotheby’s galleries in New York will be able to see Apex as part of a free exhibition of some of the items being sold during Geek Week.
Sotheby’s “legacy of pioneering natural history auctions,” as it’s called, includes the 2022 sale of an ancient gorgosaurus skeleton that sold for just over $6 million. He also sold the first standalone T Rex skull with “Maximus” in December 2022.
Stan, the world’s most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, set a new world record in 2020 when it sold for $31.8 million at Christie’s. At the time of the sale, paleontologists feared the fossil was lost to science, but in March Abu Dhabi’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism unveiled plans to make Stan the star attraction in a new natural history museum expected to open in 2025 in Abu Dhabi. Dabi, as CNN previously reported.
