T. rex Leather Bag Fails to Sell at Paris Auction
Quick Look
A unique leather bag made from T. rex cells failed to meet its reserve price at a Paris auction, with bids falling significantly short of the expected over $500,000.
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Why It Matters
A unique leather bag, created from laboratory-grown T. rex skin derived from collagen, was put up for auction in Paris. Auctioneers had hoped for bids exceeding $500,000.
A leather bag made from Tyrannosaurus rex cells failed to sell on Thursday, the Paris auction house Drouot said, commenting that bids were well below expected.
Auctioneers Giquello had touted the “one-of-a-kind” piece to sell for more than US$500,000 but bids barely broke the US$150,000 mark, said the Drouot house where the sale took place.
Unveiled in the spring in Amsterdam, the bag was created from traces of collagen from the femur of a T. rex found in the US state of Montana 25 years ago.
“In recent years, we’ve developed techniques – biotechnologies that allow us to instruct a cell culture to produce, so to speak, genuine T. rex skin in the laboratory,” said Iacopo Briano, a palaeontology expert associated with the sale, before the auction.
He noted the material differs from vegan leather, which is mostly made from plastic.
Open Questions
- What is the exact composition and ethical standing of the T. rex skin material?
- Will the bag be offered for sale again, and at what price?
- What are the long-term market prospects for luxury goods derived from extinct species?
