The skeleton of a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex, a creature that roamed the Earth 67 million years ago, sold for 5.5 million Swiss francs ($6.13 million), less than expected, in Zurich on Tuesday.
Measuring 3.9 meters (12.8 feet) high and 11.6 meters (38.1 feet) long, TRX-293 TRINITY is a composite skeleton of 293 bones from three different T-Rexs found between 2008 and 2023 in the U.S. states of Montana and Wyoming.
An undisclosed buyer offered the winning bid of 4.8 million Swiss francs, less than the 5 million to 8 million Swiss francs estimate, but the total price was higher with the buyer's premium and fees at Koller Auctions.
T-Rex making auction history
It was the first time in Europe and the third time worldwide that an entire T-Rex skeleton of exceptional quality was offered at auction, Koller, Switzerland's largest auction house, said in a statement.
More than half of the skeleton's bones are original. The rest are replacements made from plaster and epoxy resin casts.
Two other T-Rex models discovered in North America, called Sue and Stan, were sold for $8.4 million and $31 million respectively in 1998 and 2020.
($1 = 0.8978 Swiss francs)