2025-08-21
On 16 July, a skeleton of a juvenile ceratosaurus excavated in Wyoming went under the hammer at Sotheby's. Unsurprisingly, its sale was widely reported in the media – the estimation was exceeded by more than five times.
The American Dream of Dinosaurs
It was purchased for as much as $30.5 million, placing it among the most expensive dinosaurs sold at auction, with the number one spot going to a stegosaurus for $44.6 million. In addition to the fossil itself, the buyer received its complete documentation, including 3D scans and X-ray images.
It is no coincidence that many of the dinosaur skeletons that have gone under the hammer were excavated in the United States. As Vivienne Chow wrote for Artnet, according to local law, their extraction, sale and export are legal if the landowner has given their consent.
Although such auctions are popular, for example among celebrities – buyers include Nicolas Cage and Leonardo di Caprio – they are shrouded in controversy.
Although private collectors are currently making dinosaur skeletons available to museums, researchers fear that their privatisation will gradually limit access to them by public scientific institutions.
