In late May, when Sotheby's announced the auction of "Gus," one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeletons in the history of paleontology, the signs were already pointing towards an auction record. The estimated price of $20-$30 million (about £14.88-£22.32 million) was the highest ever given for such a fossil.
On 14 July, 2026, "Gus" came up for auction at the Sotheby's "Natural History including Gus Rex" sale in New York. Seven bidders engaged in a 10-minute battle for the skeleton until the hammer finally fell at $43 million (about £55 million). The final price was $50.13 million (including the buyer's premium), which set a new record for a dinosaur skeleton at auction.
About 67 million years ago, "Gus" roamed the landscape now known as South Dakota during the Maastrichtian, the latest age of the Cretaceous Period. His fossil remains were discovered on the South Dakota property of cattle ranchers Dana and Gary "Gus" Licking in 2021 and then excavated by 2023. The skeleton was intensively studied and documented by Theropoda Expeditions, a private paleontology company commissioned by the Lickings.
A total of 183 fossilized bone fragments of the skeleton were unearthed, representing 63% of the total bone count. These fragments account for 75% to 80% of the total bone mass of this T-Rex. His skull bones were even 82% preserved, including all rows of teeth. Reassembled and supplemented accordingly, the skeleton measures approximately 11.6 meters in length and 3.8 meters in height, making Gus one of the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex specimens ever discovered. Sadly, Gary "Gus" Licking did not live to see this discovery; he passed away in 2022 at the age of 67. The spectacular find was named in his honor.
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The over $50 million achieved with the sale of "Gus" now tops the list of the most expensive dinosaur skeletons sold at auction in recent years. In 2024, Stegosaurus "Apex" sold at Sotheby's for $44.6 million. In 2020, Christie's auctioned "Stan," another T-Rex, for $31.8 million.
Research institutions, such as natural history museums, are often unable to raise these staggering sums. The first auction of a dinosaur skeleton took place in 1997 with the sale of T-Rex "Sue" at Sotheby's. The Field Museum in Chicago won the bid for $8.36 million (including the buyer's premium), with support from private donors and companies.
See also: The Story Behind Russell Crowe's Dinosaur Skull That Sold at Sotheby's
Although many of these auctioned dinosaur skeletons do indeed end up on the private estates of their wealthy buyers, some are still donated to museums. "Apex" is on permanent loan to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and "Stan" can be found in the collection of the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi.
