As the Tyrannosaurus rex once hunted its prey, so controversy now stalks the trade in its bones. Private collectors of scientifically important dinosaur fossils must tread carefully. Auction houses have recently achieved eye-popping prices, most spectacularly in 2020 with the $31.8 million sale of Stan, a 37-foot-tall T. rex that outperformed his Christie’s auction mates Picasso, Renoir, and Cézanne and smashed the previous $8.4 million record price for the sale of a fossil at auction, set in 1997 by Sue, a fellow T. rex from South Dakota. Skulls and artful skeletal arrangements are also popping up at art fairs, completing the makeover from dusty museum diorama to fashionable art installation.
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“Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in interest,” says Iacopo Briano, a paleontology expert at Giquello auction house, which holds dinosaur sales at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris. The appeal for private collectors is obvious: A T. rex makes for an awe-inspiring sculptural piece for that awkward-to-fill atrium. But the risks are high. Nicolas Cage reportedly was among the collectors of Tarbosaurus bataar who gave up their fossils after Mongolian paleontologist Bolortsetseg Minjin reminded authorities in 2012 that all Mongolian fossils are the property of that state—and all known T. bataars have been unearthed in Mongolia.
When Robb Report spoke with Bolortsetseg in May, she was waiting to receive “about 20” illegally collected Mongolian dinosaurs, including the skull purportedly owned by Cage, from Homeland Security. The actor, she notes, most likely lost his money, and “the person who sold that dinosaur skull to him went to jail.” (That would be convicted smuggler Eric Prokopi.) Bolortsetseg advises collectors to avoid specimens labeled as originating from Mongolia or Central Asia and not to rely on the assurances of auction houses, which “want to make money.” Natural-history specialists from Sotheby’s and Christie’s declined to comment.
Michael Triebold, president of Triebold Paleontology Inc., a leading fossil excavator and dealer, recommends that collectors “do your due diligence, be skeptical, and find someone who can mentor you who has no vested interest in whether you make a purchase. Photographic and field-log records are always important. Provenance is vital.”
Fossil-export laws differ widely. In the United States and many European countries, specimens found on private land are the property of the landowner and can be sold or exported at will. China has had an export ban since 2004. Canada restricts trade even between provinces, says Peter Larson, president of the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, which excavated Stan and Sue.
Whether individuals should be allowed to sequester parts of what some consider to be our communal heritage is a live issue. The U.S.-based Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) regularly begs auction houses not to sell dinosaur bones, arguing that they should instead be “held in public trust.” Many privately owned fossils are in fact loaned or donated to museums: Stan will be the star attraction at Abu Dhabi’s natural-history museum, set to open in 2025, while the world’s largest triceratops—Big John, which sold for about $7.7 million in 2021 to health-care investor Sidd Pagidipati—is currently on loan to the Glazer Children’s Museum in Tampa, Fla.
Some paleontologists refuse to study privately owned dinosaurs, a position others regard as excessively purist. Larson, an SVP member, points out that “all the natural-history museums in the world were, almost entirely without exception, someone’s private collection.”
Pitfalls remain, even with perfect paperwork. As prices rise, so does the likelihood of litigation. How can you tell how much of that skeleton in the auction showroom is cretaceous and how much is 3-D printed? “If they say there’s no restoration, that’s possible but unlikely,” Larson says. “You can check restoration with ultraviolet light or X-ray.”
In November, Christie’s withdrew a T. rex scheduled for sale in Hong Kong after Larson identified it as being largely a replica of Stan. Prices have wobbled since. A T. rex skull that crossed the block at Sotheby’s in December with an estimate of $15 million to $20 million sold for just $6.1 million. Whether this blip will develop into a more serious loss of confidence remains to be seen. Until last year, price inflation has led to an increase in prospecting, which means that more recently unearthed fossils are likely headed to market.
Auction houses have more sales scheduled, including at Giquello, which will hold a Jurassic Park–themed event in October as well as an Ice Age–specimen sale in spring 2024. With prices having lost a bit of froth, now might be a good time to place a judicious bid.
A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton cast at a Tucson-area trade show. (Source: Mini Museum)
In museums across the world you can go see dinosaur fossils, scattered bones reassembled into their original forms of a roaring Tyrannosaurus or a lumbering Sauropod. It’s one thing to see a dinosaur fossil, but it is quite another to hold one in your hand. Here are the best tips for purchasing a dinosaur fossil to add to your personal collection.
A beautiful Triceratops brown horn fossil in a personal home display. (Source: Mini Museum)
1. First things first, you have to know where to buy from. Dinosaur fossils can be sold at specialty stores or trade shows, usually close to the big dig sites in the United States, mostly in the Southwest.
If that's a bit of a trek for you, there are also many online vendors to choose from that sell dinosaur fossils. When purchasing online, it's important to ensure the seller is reliable and the artifacts are certified genuine. With auction sites like eBay and Etsy, it can be difficult to determine the legitimacy of the seller, so it's best to stick with specialist sites. You should always check to see if they have an about or authenticity page too. It's also good to see if they can share the area that the fossil came from.
A row of high quality Spinosaurus teeth for personal collectors. (Source: Mini Museum)
2. Once you have a seller you trust, the next question is what kind of dinosaur fossil you want, and what you want to pay for it. Chances are you don’t have a spare 30 million in your monthly budget to buy a complete T-rex skull, but other specimens like teeth or fossil fragments are far more affordable, selling for twenty or thirty dollars. Dinosaur fossils are precious items, but there are new ones found every day by field paleontologists, meaning just about anyone can own a fossil.
So what kind of fossil do you want to own? Keep in mind fossils can come in many forms. A classic permineralized fossil is when minerals leach into an organism’s bones, replacing and preserving it with stone. A cast or mold retains the shape of the specimen, without actually preserving the form itself. A trace fossil may be a fossilized footprint, or some other mark left behind by the creature. There’s a lot of options to choose from.
3. You’ll also want to keep in mind the different eras that fossils can come from. If you’re interested in dinosaurs, you’re going to want to focus on the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Dinosaurs emerged during the Triassic, but didn't come to dominate until the Jurassic, after the end Triassic extinction event. At this time, from 200-150 Mya, dinosaurs ruled the land, seas, and air. All together, the age of dinosaurs is called the Mesozoic and any fossil from this period is a real treasure.
Carcharodontosaurus teeth that can be held in the palm of your hand. (Source: Mini Museum)
4. Most importantly is the question of the dinosaur itself. What dinosaur fossil do you want to own? Some specimens are rarer than others, and their costs are prohibitively expensive. If you're just starting out, a small tooth can be the perfect entry point. A dinosaur tooth is a distinctive and easily identifiable specimen that can be purchased without breaking the bank. A single carnivorous dinosaur like Spinosaurus could grow dozens of teeth throughout its life, leaving behind many specimens to be had today.
You should also think about what kind of dinosaur you want. Are you looking for an herbivore or a carnivore? What about a Triassic, Jurassic, or Cretaceous creature? There are many different types of dinosaurs to choose from: Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Spinosaurus, Raptors (Dromaeosaurids), Iguanodon, Pachycephalosaurus, Sauropods, and more. You could even look for other fossils from non-dinosaur creatures, like Mosasaurs, Plesiosaurs, or Megalodons.
5. Once you have your fossil, caring for the specimen is very important. A fossil has survived millions of years to the present moment, but can still be damaged by neglect. You want a nice spot for displaying, but not anywhere the fossil can be damaged. Keep the specimen dry and clean. Remember to handle gently. A display case or stand is the perfect way to show off your new treasure!
Before buying a dinosaur fossil, remember to think about what dinosaur you'd like to purchase and where you're buying it from. Check for fossils from trusted sources that can trace the fossil's origin. There are plenty of ways to start building up your collection of dinosaur fossils right now and before you know it, you could have your very own museum lining a bookshelf of your home!
Ready to start your dinosaur hunt? Check out some of these fossils and browse our entire fossil collection below!
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