Dinosaurs, 'Jodi' skeleton sold for 47.3 million dollars

New record result for the dinosaur fossil market. The skeleton of "Jodi", a specimen of Nanotyrannus that lived about 67 million years ago, was sold today by Sotheby's in New York for 47.3 million dollars (about 42.4 million euros), commissions included.

The final price far exceeded the initial valuation, set at a maximum of $9 million. The award, equal to $40.5 million before commissions, places the find among the most expensive fossils ever sold at auction. The result comes just three months after the sale of "Gus", a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton sold for 50.1 million dollars, a figure that established the record for a prehistoric fossil. In 2024, the previous record was reached by the stegosaurus "Apex", purchased for 44.6 million dollars.

Nearly six meters long, "Jodi" was discovered in 2019 in the Hell Creek geological formation, Montana, by ranch owner Jodi Pierson, to whom it owes its name. According to Sotheby's, it is one of only three Nanotyrannus skeletons known so far. The find includes 191 fossil bone elements, including an almost complete skull.

The scientific history of the specimen has contributed to increasing interest in it. For decades, in fact, scholars have wondered about the classification of Nanotyrannus, hypothesizing that it could simply be a young Tyrannosaurus Rex. Research published last year in the scientific journal "Nature" has provided new elements to support the hypothesis that it is a distinct genus, which lived in the same period as the largest predator. The commercial path of the fossil was also significant. In 2023, when it was still identified as a young specimen of T-Rex and was presented with the name 'Chomper', the specimen was offered at Frieze Masters, in London, with a valuation of 20 million dollars. The work had not been sold. Meanwhile, according to provenance documentation published by Sotheby's, the current transferor had purchased it in 2021. The recent auction thus more than doubled the previous valuation.

Fossils' attractiveness on the luxury market is growing

The result confirms the growing attractiveness of fossils on the international luxury goods market, where rare specimens now compete with high-value paintings, collector's watches and sports memorabilia. In 2020, the Tyrannosaurus Rex 'Stan' skeleton was sold at Christie's for $31.8 million. Last year, however, a young specimen of Ceratosaurus had reached 30.5 million dollars at Sotheby's, compared to an estimate of between 4 and 6 million.

However, the surge in prices fuels concerns in the paleontological community. Scholars fear that finds of particular scientific importance will become inaccessible to museums and will be transferred to private collections, with possible limitations on research and dissemination. Auction houses argue, on the contrary, that investments by private collectors can help finance the expensive excavation, conservation and study of fossils.