I Can’t Afford This T. Rex up for Auction at Sotheby’s. Starting Bid is $19 Million
A nearly complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named 'Gus' is set to be auctioned by Sotheby's with an opening bid of $19 million. The fossil, discovered on a South Dakota ranch, is expected to fetch between $20 million and $30 million.
Why it matters
The high valuation of dinosaur fossils highlights the growing market for natural history artifacts among private collectors and the ongoing debate regarding the commercialization of scientific specimens.
Dearly departed South Dakota cattle rancher Gary “Gus” Licking had a hunch that the small bone and teeth fragments he kept coming across on his 6,500-acre property might part of be something big. And, like a character in a Far Side cartoon, he was right: The dirt beneath his Harding County ranch hid one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever discovered—a 38-foot (11.6-meter) long, nearly 12.5-foot (3.8-meter) tall monster now named “Gus” in his honor.
The report provides factual information about the auction and historical context without taking a political stance.
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