Rare T. rex fossil sells for record $50.1 million at auction
The 67-million-year-old skeleton is one of the largest and most complete T. rex fossils known, with 183 bones and 61% of the original skeleton preserved.
- On Tuesday, a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named Gus sold at Sotheby's in New York for a record $50.1 million, becoming the most expensive fossil ever auctioned.
- Landmark sales of T. rex specimens such as Sue, Stan, and now Gus have brought significant attention to fossils as collectible objects, driving investment and discovery in the field.
- Gus features a skull about 82% complete with full rights, meaning it contains no copyrighted casts from other dinosaurs, and shows bite marks and fractures the specimen survived.
- Paleontologists generally believe that once a fossil enters private hands, it is lost to science, as journals refuse to publish research on specimens that cannot be reliably reproduced.
- The buyer's identity remains unknown, but the new owner could license or produce casts for museums, potentially becoming a competitor to the established fossil Stan in the market.
277 Articles
277 Articles
'Another dinosaur has entered the luxury collectibles market': Gus the T. rex just sold for $50 million. Here's what its loss means to science.
On July 14, 2026, "Gus," one of the most complete specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex, went to an as yet unidentified buyer for US$50.1 million. This auction at Sotheby's set a record for most valuable fossil ever sold. Another dinosaur has entered the luxury collectibles market, a reminder that even Earth's deepest history can be sold to the highest bidder.To paleontologists like me, however, a fossil like "Gus" — excavated from the Hell Creek Forma…
South Dakota T. rex fetched millions, and scientists fear a private buyer will lock it away
As Sotheby's prepared to auction off a giant T. rex skeleton in New York, scientists warned that the fossils ending up in a private collection could harm future research efforts. What happened? The T. rex skeleton, named Gus after the late South Dakota rancher Gary "Gus" Licking, whose land the bones were found on, was set to be auctioned off Tuesday. According to CNN, Sotheby's has set an estimate for Gus at up to $30 million, though blockbuste…
At Sotheby’s in New York, an anonymous bidder paid a record amount for a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton: 44 million euros. Paleontological finds are increasingly being bought up by private collectors instead of museums – something paleontologists are not happy about. "They are destroying science through competition."
This 67 million-year-old T-rex has become the world’s most expensive dinosaur
A 67 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex fossil has become the world’s most expensive dinosaur after being sold for a record $50.1m (£37.3m) at auction. On Tuesday (14 July), the T-Rex, nicknamed Gus, was acquired for a record price after a seven-way bidding contest at Sotheby's in New York. The 12 ½ feet (3.8 meters) tall fossil skeleton beat the almost $45m (£33.6m) price tag for a nearly complete stegosaurus named Apex at the same auction hous…
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