Image: MICHAEL BUHOLZER (KEYSTONE)
The dinosaur skeleton went under the hammer in Zurich for more than 4.8 million francs (4.89 million euros). The successful bidder even paid CHF 5.5 million (EUR 5.6 million) for it. This includes the commission for the auction house. “The skeleton stays in Europe,” said the spokesman for the auction house Koller. He did not initially provide any further information about the buyer.
A higher selling price had been expected in advance. The skeleton is around 67 million years old and is 11.6 meters long and 3.9 meters high. It was only the third auction of a complete T-Rex skeleton in the world and the first to take place in Europe.
The skeleton is the particularly sought-after dinosaur species Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex). It is considered a blockbuster among dinosaurs because they were long thought to be the largest predators to ever walk the earth. In the meantime, the remains of even larger dinosaurs have been found, but this did not detract from the reputation of the T-Rex. The dinosaur species Tyrannosaurus Rex lived more than 65 million years ago in what is now the United States.
Anonymous private owner from the USA
The anonymous private owner from the US dubbed the skeleton “Trinity” because it was assembled from bones from three different animals discovered between 2008 and 2013 in the US states of Montana and Wyoming. Only around 50 percent of the bones are original material. According to the auction house, this is a good quota.
The highest bid at the auction at the Zurich auction house Koller on Tuesday was made by an unknown bidder over the phone. According to the auction house, the expected sales price was five to eight million francs (5.10 to 8.14 million euros).
“Trinity” has been on view at the Tonhalle in Zurich for the past few weeks. According to Koller Auctions, around 15,000 people have made use of it. Another 20,000 visitors to Tonhalle concerts also saw the skeleton.
The sale of dinosaur skeletons to private individuals is not without controversy. Scientists fear that they could miss out on valuable research material. The Zurich auction house tried to refute this criticism in the run-up to the auction. The catalog quotes the collection curator of the planned new Natural History Museum at the University of Zurich as saying that the trade in dinosaur skeletons is comparable to the art trade. Sooner or later, most privately sold specimens would show up in a public domain setting.
In 2020, the Arab Emirate of Abu Dhabi bought the T. rex skeleton “Stan” for $31 million. The special thing about it was that it has 70 percent original bones and the entire skeleton comes from the same animal. It is to be exhibited in a museum in Abu Dhabi in a few years.
Source: Nachrichten
