Sotheby's to Auction 38-Foot T. rex Skeleton Gus for Up to $30 Million
Updated
Updated · VICE · Jul 7
Sotheby's to Auction 38-Foot T. rex Skeleton Gus for Up to $30 Million
3 articles · Updated · VICE · Jul 7
Summary
July 14 is the sale date for Gus, a 38-foot Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton Sotheby’s expects to fetch $20 million to $30 million.
183 fossilized elements make Gus about 63% complete by bone count, putting it among the largest and most complete T. rex specimens ever offered at auction.
South Dakota rancher Gary “Gus” Licking found smaller fossils on his 6,500-acre property and spurred the dig, but died about a year into the three-year excavation.
Three consecutive summers of excavation by Theropoda Expeditions were followed by years of cleaning, identification and assembly, underscoring the specimen’s rarity as private fossil sales draw scrutiny over museum access.