T rex fossil ‘Gus’ sells for $50.1m at New York auction, setting new record
A T-Rex skeleton named 'Gus' sold for a record-breaking $50.1 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York. The sale has sparked debate among scientists regarding the impact of private ownership on paleontological research.
Why it matters
The high price tag highlights the growing market for rare fossils, while raising ethical questions about the accessibility of scientific specimens.
A videographer documents 'Gus', a mounted Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, one of the largest T. rex ever found, during a press preview at the Sotheby's Breuer building in New York, on July 1, 2026. Picture: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images
A vast, fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed Gus sold at Sotheby’s in New York on Tuesday for $50.1m with fees to a phone bidder – making it the most valuable dinosaur fossil sold at auction.
It also sold well above a pre-sale estimate of $20m to $30m.
The skeleton, judged to be one of the largest and most complete ever unearthed, was excavated on a ranch in Harding county, South Dakota, by the commercial fossil outfit Theropoda Expeditions.
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