The first Stegosaurus fossil to be presented at auction was just sold for a record-breaking $44.6 million at Sotheby’s in New York. Over more than 15 minutes, prospective buyers drove the bids up to nearly 11 times the fossil’s estimated value of $6 million. This staggering sale price makes it the most expensive dinosaur skeleton ever sold at auction, surpassing the previous record of $31.8 million set by Stan the Tyrannosaurus Rex in 2020. The skeleton, found near the aptly named town of Dinosaur in Moffat County, Colorado, in 2022, was discovered by paleontologist Jason Cooper during a birthday hike. The excavation revealed an exceptionally well-preserved Stegosaurus, later named Apex, which stands 11 feet tall and measures nearly 27 feet long. Consisting of 319 skeletal pieces, Apex is approximately 70% intact and about a third larger than Sophie, the famous Stegosaurus at the Natural History Museum in London.
Despite Apex now residing in the private collection of Citadel founder Ken Griffin, there remains a possibility that the public could still have an opportunity to view the skeleton. Griffin is considering options to loan the dinosaur to American museums, potentially allowing Apex to be displayed to a broader audience. This gesture would provide the public a rare chance to appreciate one of the most significant paleontological finds, letting Apex figuratively roam North America once more. Such an arrangement could bridge the gap between private ownership and public education, ensuring that this remarkable piece of natural history continues to inspire and educate future generations.
