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News Sport
Apex Stegosaurus auction (1) infographic
Grapic shows Stegosaurus and most expensive fossils ever sold at auction.
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BUSINESS

Stegosaurus sets record at auction

By Duncan Mil

July 18, 2024 - A 150-million-year-old, nearly complete Stegosaurus skeleton sold for $44.6 million at auction at Sotheby’s in New York. The colossal fossil was nicknamed “Apex.”

The dinosaur remains were estimated to fetch up to $6 million, but the sale exceeded those expectations. According to Anna Tisi, a representative for Sotheby’s, it set a world record price for a fossil at auction after a bidding war that lasted more than 15 minutes.

Sotheby’s did not disclose the buyer’s identity.

Apex was unearthed in 2022 near the town of Dinosaur in Moffat County, Colorado, on the private land of a palaeontologist who discovered it himself and has remained anonymous, according to Sotheby’s.

The bones were in the Morrison Formation, an expanse of sedimentary rock centred in Colorado and Wyoming extending into parts of 11 other states.

“‘Apex’ marks a significant milestone, as simply one of the best fossils of its kind ever unearthed,” said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s global head of science and popular culture.

“Stegosaurus is one of the most universally recognizable dinosaur species, whose unmistakable silhouette has been a source of fascination and wonder for generations,” she added.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 18/07/2024; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Matthew Sherman/Sotheby’s, Wikipedia
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