Another T-Rex Skeleton Is up for Auction, and It’s Expected to Fetch up to $25 Million
The Tyrannosaurus rex, the world’s most notorious dinosaur, has been having something of a moment on the auction circuit over the last couple of years. Back in 2020, Christie’s made headlines with the auction of Stan, one of the most complete T-Rex skeletons ever unearthed. It sold for the Jurassic haul of $32 million before finding a permanent home in an Abu Dahbi museum. Now another rare T-Rex skeleton will be crossing the block next month.
Standing at 16 feet tall and 43 feet long, “Shen”—meaning “God-like”—will be the first Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton to be auctioned in Asia as it heads to Christie’s 20th-21st Century Art Evening Sale in Hong Kong on November 30. It is expected to hammer down for between $15 million to $25 million.
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Only 20 T-Rex skeletons have been discovered to date, with most found incomplete. Shen is a 54 percent complete skeleton with 79 bones, including a well-preserved skull along with frontal, jugal and other distinguishable bones. The remains were found along the Hell Creek formation in Montana before being examined and prepared in Germany.
“Shen is one of the best T.rex ever discovered; he considerably advances the science of paleontology and our knowledge of theropod behavior,” Dr. John R. Nudds, a professor at the University of Manchester, says of the skeleton on the listing website.
Of course, not everyone will welcome another sale of a rare dinosaur skeleton. In July, critics in the scientific community spoke out against the sale of a Gorgosaurus skeleton at Sotheby’s that fetched $6.1 million. They argued that, given the scientific and historical importance of the dinosaur skeletons, the remains should be held in a museum for the public and not in a private collection.
While Shen’s permanent home will be determined by her new owner, it is possible that she follows in Stan’s footsteps and ends up in a museum or institution. For the time being, though, the public will have a chance to see her in both Singapore and Hong Kong in the weeks leading up to the sale. In Singapore, she will be on view at the Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall from October 28 to 30. A month later, she’ll be showcased at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from November 26 to 30.
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