Thinking of bidding on something exceptional and extraordinary—something other than paintings, antiques, and watches? Well, this one’s for you.
This November, a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex (T. rex) skeleton is heading to Christie’s 20th/21st Century Art Evening Sale during its Hong Kong Autumn Auction week. This skeleton, Shen the T. rex, is making history – it’s the first time a T. Rex skeleton has been offered at auction in Asia. Ever!
Dynamically poised as though in the midst of a hunt, the colossal skeleton measures 12.2 metres (43 feet) long, 4.6 metres (16 feet) high, and 2.1 metres (7 feet) width, weighing a whopping 1,400 kg.
The museum standard skeleton was unearthed in the Hell Creek Formation in Montana in the US, and is 54 percent represented by bone density. It would have lived during the Cretaceous Period—approximately 68-66 million years ago.
Above: Photographer: Marcus Müller-Witte, M.A.
The estimate of the skeleton falls in the range of HK$120-200 million (US$15-25 million). The new owner will be granted full rights and all soft assets related to the skeleton. To top it all, they’ll even be able to name it as they wish!
This isn’t the first time such an extraordinary item has appeared on auction. Two dinosaur skeletons were previously sold at Christie’s in New York. In October 2020, Stan the T. rex fetched a record-breaking US$31,847,500 (HK$250 million). According to The Guardian, the most expensive dinosaur is set to be put on display in Abu Dhabi’s natural history museum, slated for completion in 2025.
Most recently, another dinosaur skeleton The Raptor was sold at US$12,412,500 (HK$97.4 million) in May earlier this year.
Shen the T. rex will be available for a public preview from 26 to 30 November at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the sales will be held on 30 November.
UPDATE (As of 24 November, 2022)
It is reported by Robb Report US that the sale of Shen the T. rex has been withdrawn by Christie’s due to concerns over how many of its bones are replicas, along with copyright concerns from the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, a notable fossil company.
All images courtesy of Christie’s Hong Kong.
