Sotheby's sells T. rex 'Gus' for record $50.1 million

Sotheby's sold a Tyrannosaurus rex specimen named "Gus" for $50.1 million, setting a new auction record for a dinosaur and surpassing the $44.6 million paid in 2024 for the Stegosaurus skeleton "Apex," which billionaire hedge funder Ken Griffin bought. The sale came after a 10-minute bidding war between seven bidders and far exceeded Sotheby's estimate of $20 million to $30 million. Gus was discovered in South Dakota and is about 67 million years old. Sotheby's said the fossil includes 183 bone elements and is about 61% complete by bone count, putting it among the most complete dinosaur specimens ever found. It is about 38 feet long, about 12.5 feet tall and has a skull length of 54 inches, making it one of the largest T. rex fossils ever found, according to Sotheby's. The specimen also shows multiple injuries, including fractured and healed bones in several ribs and gastralia (belly ribs), along with bite marks on several skull bones. The sale adds to a broader boom in dinosaur fossils as a collectibles category, with wealthy buyers seeking rare long-term stores of value and auction houses expanding beyond art. A T. rex named "Stan" sold at Christie's for $31.8 million in 2020. Even as prices climb, paleontologists and other experts warn the market has few safeguards for authenticity or verification.