A triceratops skeleton that has greeted visitors at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center for decades is heading to auction, a rare instance of a museum-exhibited dinosaur being offered to private buyers as the market for prehistoric fossils continues to soar. Dubbed “Trey,” the fossil is estimated to fetch between $4.5 and $5.5 million when bidding opens March 17th on Joopiter, an online auction platform founded by musician Pharrell Williams.
The 17-foot-long herbivore, dating back more than 66 million years to the late Cretaceous period, was discovered in 1993 near Lusk, Wyoming, by Lee Campbell and the late Allen Graffham, a commercial paleontologist. Trey was meticulously prepared and assembled in Germany before returning to the United States in 1995, becoming a centerpiece of the newly opened Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis. The center describes itself as a “world-class” facility with “one of the largest and most unique fossil collections in the world,” boasting rich fossil layers in the region.
The auction of a museum-displayed triceratops is unusual, according to Joopiter, which highlights that “more than a million visitors” have viewed the skeleton over the past three decades. The fossil remained on loan to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center until 2023, and was recently sold in a private transaction before being moved to Singapore, where it is currently available for private viewings until the end of March.
A Cultural Connection Fuels the Market
Paleontologist Andre LuJan, who collaborated with Joopiter in preparing the fossil for auction, believes Trey possesses a unique appeal. “It possesses a component cultural that many fossils that are auctioned today simply lack,” LuJan told the Associated Press. “This is connected with the people and, has inspired children who have seen it to dedicate themselves to paleontology.”
The increasing demand for dinosaur fossils as investments is driving up prices. In 2024, the remains of an estegosaurio named ‘Apex’ sold for $44.6 million, surpassing the previous record of $31.8 million paid in 2020 for ‘Stan,’ a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. A rare dinosaur skeleton sold at Sotheby’s last July also exceeded expectations, fetching over $30 million despite a starting price of under $6 million, demonstrating the continued strength of the market.
Concerns Over Access to Scientific Research
While the burgeoning market reflects a growing fascination with dinosaurs, some paleontologists express concern that it could limit access to these fossils for scientific research. Kristi Curry Rogers, a paleontologist at Macalester College in Minnesota, argues that public museums are being “totally excluded from a booming market.”
“If a fossil goes into a private collection without guaranteed access forever, that data is practically lost to science,” Curry Rogers lamented, noting she is not involved in the sale. LuJan emphasized that Trey has always been privately owned, but expressed hope that it will ultimately end up in a museum, similar to Apex, which is now displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York after its buyer agreed to a long-term loan allowing scientists to study it.
LuJan believes a shift in perspective regarding dinosaur ownership is emerging. “Due to this paradigm shift of what it means to own dinosaurs for society, people are naturally leaning towards this beneficial option: they loan them to museums long-term or end up donating them to a new museum that is being born,” he said.
Wyoming Center Focused on Education and Research
The Wyoming Dinosaur Center, where Trey was previously exhibited, remains dedicated to “the advancement of education, outreach, and research,” offering “exceptional, engaging, and entertaining geological and paleontological hands-on experiences for visitors of all ages.” Whether Trey will continue to contribute to that mission remains to be seen.
The auction, scheduled to run from March 17th to 31st, will reveal the future of this iconic triceratops skeleton and further illuminate the evolving dynamics of the dinosaur fossil market. Interested parties can find more information about the auction and view Trey in Singapore through Joopiter’s website: https://www.joopiter.com/
The fate of ‘Trey’ will become clearer at the close of bidding on March 31st, and updates on the sale will be available through Joopiter and associated news outlets.
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