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Sotheby's auction fetches $50.1 M for T. rex “Gus” record sale

7/15/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Sotheby's New York sold the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton “Gus” for $50.1 million on July 14, 2026, setting a record for dinosaur auctions.
The 38-foot, 61 % complete fossil, found on a South Dakota cattle ranch in 2021, required three summers of excavation before sale.
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology urged the anonymous buyer to place Gus in a public museum, warning that private ownership limits scientific study.

History

Historical Context

In 1992 the FBI raided the Black Hills Institute and seized the 90% complete T. rex Sue, ending a dispute between paleontologist Peter Larson and landowner Maurice Williams. After a 1997 court settlement, Sotheby’s auctioned Sue for $8.3 million, which the Field Museum bought for public display. The sale set a precedent that resurfaced in 2026 when the 61% complete specimen Gus fetched $50.1 million.

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Story summary

Sotheby's New York sold the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton “Gus” for $50.1 million on July 14, 2026, setting a record for dinosaur auctions.
The 38-foot, 61 % complete fossil, found on a South Dakota cattle ranch in 2021, required three summers of excavation before sale.
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology urged the anonymous buyer to place Gus in a public museum, warning that private ownership limits scientific study.

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