Sotheby’s $50.1 M. T. Rex Sale Sets New Record as Scientists Scowl
A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton known as “Gus” sold for $50.1 million at Sotheby’s on Tuesday, becoming the most expensive dinosaur ever auctioned, ARTnews reported. The 67-million-year-old specimen drew 19 bids and hammered at $43 million before fees, surpassing the prior record of $44.6 million set in 2024 by the Stegosaurus “Apex,” also sold by Sotheby’s. Paleontologists including Richard Butler (University of Birmingham) and Stephen Brusatte (University of Edinburgh) criticized the high-end fossil market for putting scientifically important specimens beyond museum reach, though Sotheby’s vice chairman and head of science and natural history Cassandra Hatton has argued commercial excavation can preserve fossils that might otherwise be lost. Gus was discovered on a South Dakota ranch between 2021 and 2023, and Sotheby’s noted that Apex’s buyer, Ken Griffin, has placed that fossil on long-term loan to the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
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This story was covered in Auction Fever, Museum Fallout, and Artworld Threats