Sotheby’s Introduces “Jodi,” an Incredibly Rare $9 Million Dinosaur

In late October, Sotheby’s will offer an incredibly rare dinosaur skeleton known as “Jodi,” which was first discovered by rancher Jodi Pierson in 2019 in Hell Creek Formation, Montana, not far from where the famous “Dueling Dinosaurs” were uncovered. Headed to market with a pre-sale estimate of $6 million–$9 million, the exceptional example of the Nanotyrannus measures approximately 6.5 feet tall and 19.6 feet long, all of which will be on display at the auction house’s galleries at the Breuer beginning October 13.  

“Jodi” is second only to another example of Nanotyrannus known as “Bloody Mary,” which makes up one half of the “Dueling Dinosaurs.” The scientific community has long debated whether the Nanotyrannus was its own genus or an adolescent Tyrannosaurus rex, but differences including the number of teeth, sheer size, tail vertebrae, claw structure, and more, as well as a 2025 paper published by Drs. Lindsay Zanno and James Napoli that cited “Bloody Mary” and over 200 other fossils helped distinguish the two. “Jodi” is the first to follow the distinction, and will also follow the $50.1 million July sale of “Gus,” which also occurred at Sotheby’s.