Apex, the largest stegosaurus skeleton ever discovered, was sold at a record-breaking auction price of $44.6 million in New York, as announced by Sotheby's. Estimated to be 150 million years old, the skeleton is considered "among the most complete ever found." Standing 11 feet tall and measuring 27 feet in length, Apex comprises 254 fossil bone elements out of an approximate total of 319.
Sotheby's had initially anticipated a sale price between $4 million and $6 million, but intense bidding led to a swift escalation in price, with enthusiastic telephone bidders driving the final amount far beyond expectations. The previous auction record for a dinosaur skeleton was $31.8 million, set in 2020 for a Tyrannosaurus Rex named "Stan."
Apex was unearthed in May 2022 on the private land of paleontologist Jason Cooper, with Sotheby's highlighting its collaboration with Cooper to meticulously document the discovery, excavation, restoration, preparation, and mounting of the skeleton to ensure utmost standards and transparency.
This auction underscores a growing trend in the sale of dinosaur remains, with significant public interest and investment in such rare and historically significant fossils.
