The November 30 auction marks the first time that a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil has come up for auction in Asia through Christie’s. According to experts, it could reach between 15 and 25 million dollars.
mighty rex
Called Shen , for the time being, the new owner of the 1,400-kilogram fossil will get exclusive rights to the name and can change it after purchase. Shen is exactly 12.2 meters long, 4.6 meters high and 2.1 meters wide. His remains were unearthed in the Hell Creek Formation , in McCone County, Montana, in 2020, and he lived during the Cretaceous period, about 68-66 million years ago.
Staff at Christie’s auction house expect the sale price to be as high as $25 million. The winning buyer could be a billionaire private collector who wants to display Shen in his sprawling mansion, something that has proven to be a point of contention with paleontologists.
It is not the only dinosaur specimen to be auctioned in recent years. Recently, in 2020, the sale of Stan , another Tyrannosaurus rex, broke all records. It was the most expensive dinosaur fossil in history after being sold for 31.8 million dollars (just over 32 million euros).
Fewer than 30 museum-worthy fossilized tyrannosaurus rex skeletons have been unearthed so far, and no Asian institution owns one.
An exceptional fossil
Christie’s Asia-Pacific head of classical art Georgina Hilton said the sale would also be in addition to the popular dinosaur exhibit at the Hong Kong Science Museum, “The Big Eight – Dinosaur Revelation ,” which runs from 8 from July to November 16.
The skeleton will go on display at the Victoria Theater and Concert Hall in Singapore before being auctioned off at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, for those who want to see Shen one last time before he is owned by someone else.
“It is an honor to be entrusted with the first auction in Asia of a T. rex skeleton, a groundbreaking moment for the market in the region. This is a world-class specimen for museums and institutions, and its auction in Hong Kong in November offers an unprecedented opportunity for APAC collectors to own an exceptional piece of our global natural history. Shen is significantly diversifying our Hong Kong Autumn Auction sale offerings this year , following in the footsteps of two standout dinosaur skeletons auctioned at Christie’s in New York: STAN the T. rex, which sold for a record $31.8 million US dollars in 2020, and most recently in May, The Raptor , which sold for US$12.4 million. We have witnessed a growing demand in the region for objects of historical importance, and we sincerely hope to engage museums, institutions, collectors and the general public around the world in this extraordinary opportunity,” said Francis Belin, president of Christie’s Asia Pacific. .
Christie’s said the specimen will be auctioned off with “full rights”, so the lucky buyer will be able to officially change the specimen’s name. The scientific value of the fossilized T. rex making its way to Hong Kong, nicknamed “Shen,” which means “god” in Mandarin , is unclear, some experts say.
We will see what sophisticated collectors offer this great million-year-old dinosaur.
Referencia: Christie’s Press Release 2022
