“Gus” the T. Rex Stomps On Dinosaur Auction Records at Sotheby’s
The $50 million paid for the king of lizards exceeds all other prices ever paid dinosaur bones at auction
By the time the gavel fell, the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton ever brought to auction had become the most expensive. The set of T. Rex bones affectionately known as “Gus” sold for $50.1 million at Sotheby’s New York following a 10-minute, seven-bidder battle that beat the prior record by over 10 percent. “Gus” is approximately 61 percent complete, with an exceptionally well-preserved skull. The previous record was held by “Apex,” a stegosaurus sold by Sotheby’s two years ago for $44.6 million, now on a long-term loan to the American Museum of Natural History.
Excitement around the T. Rex was intense. “Gus is not only an exceptional find, but a specimen that’s been excavated, documented, prepared, and cared for with real excellence,” said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman for Science & Natural History, adding, “The market responds when great specimens are taken care of in the right way.”
The sale of “Gus” was part of the “Natural History including Gus Rex,” itself part of the annual summer highlight “Geek Week.” Other interesting lots in the Natural History sale included an Allosaurus skull with remarkably intact teeth that gaveled out a $1,536,000, and an early fossil frond panel that went for four times its estimate. Geek Week continues on July 15 with the Space Exploration sale, which includes items from the Apollo 11 mission.
