It’s not every day you’re presented with the chance to get your hands on your very own T-Rex skeleton, but allow me to be the one to tell you that today is that day.
Well, it is if you have a spare $8 million lying around, at least. Which admittedly, I do not. But hey, this isn’t about me so I’ll soldier on for you lovely lot.
The almost-complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton will be put up for auction on October 6 at Christie’s, a British auction house that offers ‘premier auctions and private sales of the finest art, antiques and interiors’ – and now apparently dinosaur skeletons.
The famous ‘Stan’ T-Rex fossil was discovered in the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota in 1987, before being excavated in 1992. It is one of the two most complete T-Rex skeletons ever found, with more than 70% bulk.
Named after its discoverer Stan Sacrison, the T-Rex lived in the late Cretaceous period, the prehistoric age that ended approximately 65 million years ago with the mass extinction of dinosaurs.
At his largest, Stan would have weighed between seven and eight tonnes. To put that into perspective, that’s twice as heavy as the average modern African elephant. He also measured 13 feet high and was almost 40 feet long with his tail fully outstretched.
Although the action is opening with no reserve price, meaning almost anyone is able to submit an offer, the artefact is valued at approximately $8 million so I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much.
James Hyslop, head of Christie’s Science & Natural History department, described the bidding as a ‘once in a generation chance’ in a statement, adding:
This is one of the best specimens discovered. There simply aren’t T-Rexes like this coming to market. It’s an incredibly rare event when a great one is found.
It is such an iconic piece of the 20th century, and fits so well in the context we are offering it. T-Rex is a brand name in a way that no other dinosaur is. It sits very naturally against a Picasso, a Jeff Koons or an Andy Warhol.
More than 30 years after his discovery, Stan is recognised as a scientific and cultural sensation. As such, he is the most viewed and widely exhibited dinosaur of all time, according to Christie’s.
If you fancy learning more about the auction and finding out how you can submit your bid, just head over to the official Christie’s website.
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Source link : https://www.unilad.co.uk/science/t-rex-skeleton-up-for-auction-for-8-million
