![]() ![]() American fossil hunters who dig on private land aren’t required to report what kinds of specimens they have delivered to private collections. It’s unknown exactly how much paleontology is done on public lands versus private lands. But the US only restricts the collecting of fossils on public lands, meaning fossils discovered on private property belong to the landowner.Īnd this was the case for Trinity, Stan, and Sue, the only three T-rex skeletons to ever be sold at auctions. In countries like Mongolia, dinosaur fossils are considered to be part of the nation’s shared cultural heritage – regardless of where they were found. It’s an enormously lucrative business, but experts warn the trade could be harmful to science by putting the specimens in private hands and out of the reach of researchers. According to the scientific publication Nature, only 32 adult T-rex specimens have ever been found. It is the first auction of its kind in Europe and only the third in the world.Īuction sales of dinosaur skeletons and other fossils have raked in tens of millions of dollars in recent years. The sale of rare specimens like Trinity isn’t without criticism from scientists and paleontologists. Trinity is considered one of the best-preserved T-rex skeletons in the world (Credit: Koller Auction House). Hans Jakob Siber, Palaeontologist and head of the Aathal Dinosaur Museum in Switzerland. “The quality of the preparation and mounting work is what really counts in the value of a dinosaur,” explains Dr. This process can take seven to ten years – it’s a massive effort for a team of paleontologists, preparators, conservators, and other specialized professionals in the fossil field. “Dinosaur skulls are very rare they are among the most valuable components of fossil skeletons,” says Scientific advisor Nils Knötschke, one of the world’s leading fossil preparators.Įach of Trinity’s 293 bones had to be painstakingly unearthed, prepared, cleaned, and restored before the mounting could take place. It’s Trinity’s incredibly well-preserved skull, which comes from a single specimen, that makes the skeleton so desirable. The skeleton of Trinity was assembled from three specimens excavated from 2008 to 2013 in the Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations in Montana and Wyoming.Īlthough only 50% of the bones are original, Koller, the Swiss auction house selling Trinity, says the skeleton is “among the finest known unearthed specimens of one of the largest terrestrial predators that ever roamed the earth.” Stan, the last T-rex skeleton to go under the gavel in 2020, fetched an incredible $31.8 million, making it the most expensive fossil ever sold. The fossil’s starting bid, in what organizers are calling the Out of this World auction, is listed at 5 million francs – but experts believe the final sale price will be much steeper. And according to paleontologists, Trinity is believed to be the first Tyrannosaurus Rex ever to touch Swiss soil, dead or alive. ![]() The skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur named “Trinity” goes on display tomorrow in Zurich before it is auctioned off next month in what is being called a controversial sale in the world of paleontology.Īt an astonishing 11.6 meters long and 3.9 meters tall, 67-million-year-old Trinity is one of the most spectacular T-rex skeletons in existence. Trinity, the t-rex skeleton for sale in Switzerland (Credit: Koller Auction House). More on the dinosaur and why the sale is so controversial. One of the best-preserved t-rex skeletons in the world will be sold next month in a Swiss auction. ![]()
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