Rare T. rex fossil sells for record $50.1 million at auction
The 67-million-year-old skeleton drew seven bidders as scientists urged the buyer to place the fossil in a public museum.
- On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Sotheby's sold the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed Gus for $50.1 million in New York after a nearly 10-minute bidding war among seven competitors.
- Commercial paleontologist Thomas Heitkamp discovered the specimen in 2021 on a 6,500-acre South Dakota cattle ranch owned by the late Gary 'Gus' Licking, after whom the skeleton was named.
- Measuring 38 feet long and 12.5 feet tall, Gus comprises 183 fossil bone elements, making it about 61% complete by bone count with an 'exceptionally preserved' skull, according to Sotheby's.
- The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology warned that private ownership may limit research access, arguing scientifically significant fossils should remain in the public trust for future study.
- While the buyer remains anonymous, the acquisition includes 'full rights' allowing the owner to license casts for museums, potentially maintaining public access to the specimen.
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A 67-million-year-old T. rex discovered on a South Dakota ranch has sold for $50.1 million, becoming the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever auctioned
Rest of World News: For decades, Tyrannosaurus rex has occupied a unique place in popular culture, appearing as both a scientific subject and a symbol of prehistoric powe.
'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…
A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, nicknamed Gus, has set a record price at an auction in New York, becoming the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold. An unknown buyer paid 43.6 million euros for it, surpassing the previous record set in 2024, when a Stegosaurus skeleton sold for just under 39 million euros. The auction at Sotheby's lasted about ten minutes and included seven bidders. The approximately 3.8-meter-high skeleton was initially expect…
Skeletals such as the "Gus" tyrannosaure, which has just set a record in New York, are most often exhumed during trade missions. A practice carried by a flourishing market, which revolts some of the scientists.
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