A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named Gus sold for a record $50,130,000 at Sotheby’s in New York, becoming the most expensive fossil ever auctioned. The 67-million-year-old specimen, found in South Dakota, is 75% to 80% complete by mass and features rare elements like a preserved pelvis and feet.
The sale of Gus, a 38-foot-long and 12.5-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, has set a new benchmark for paleontological artifacts, fetching $50,130,000 at Sotheby’s in New York on Tuesday. The skeleton, discovered on a South Dakota ranch, is 75% to 80% complete by mass and includes rare components such as a complete pelvis and both feet. Its sale price dwarfs the previous record of $44.6 million for the Stegosaurus Apex, auctioned in 2024.
A Fossil’s Journey from Private Land to Auction Block
Gus was unearthed on a ranch in Harding County, South Dakota, owned by Gary “Gus” Licking, who died in 2022, one year into the excavation of the fossil. Cole Jacobs, a field prospector for the commercial outfit Theropoda Expeditions, described the discovery: “I straddled the road, walked up, and it was the very first thing I laid eyes on on the first day. I saw the metatarsal poking out of the ground.” The fossil’s name honors Licking, whose land hosted the find. The excavation was conducted by Theropoda Expeditions with permission from the owner of the land.
The auction house emphasized Gus’s rarity, noting that only one other T. rex specimen is known to have two well-represented feet. Its skull, 54 inches long, retains 82% of its original bones, while the skeleton includes evidence of survival from bite marks and fractures. Despite its completeness, Gus is less complete than Sue, the first dinosaur fossil sold at auction in 1997, and the 70% complete Stan, which fetched $31.8 million in 2020.
Scientists Warn of Lost Opportunities for Research
Prof. Richard Butler of the University of Birmingham called the auction “very concerning,” warning that private sales risk locking fossils away from scientific study. “A fossil not in a recognised museum collection cannot be studied and is therefore lost to research,” he said. Museums often face a growing challenge in acquiring specimens due to prices. “If a dinosaur like this fetches tens of millions of dollars at auction, then there’s little that scientists or museums or universities can do,” added Prof. Stephen Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh.
Dr. Thomas Carr of Carthage College highlighted the fragility of private ownership. “A private collection has no guarantee that a fossil will stay in a collection for all time,” he said. While some buyers, like Ken Griffin—who loaned the Stegosaurus Apex to the Museum of Natural History—have shared their acquisitions, Carr stressed that such arrangements are not guaranteed. “Fossils need to be available to test previous observations and to make new insights; the fossils are the data so they must always be available for study,” he added.
The Legal Gray Area of Fossil Ownership
In the U.S., landowners can legally sell fossils found on their property. Prof. Brusatte noted that in countries like Brazil or Mongolia, fossils belong to the state, but in the U.S., “you can do what you want with what you find on your land.” This legal framework allows private companies to excavate and auction fossils, even as scientists argue it undermines public access.
The auction house confirmed that Gus comes with “full rights,” meaning it contains no copyrighted elements from other dinosaurs. This distinction allows the buyer to potentially produce casts for museums or private collectors, a process typically reliant on existing specimens like Stan. Sotheby’s noted that the buyer’s identity remains unknown, leaving the fossil’s future uncertain.
What Comes Next for the King of the Dinosaurs?
The sale of Gus underscores a trend of fossils being treated as luxury assets. While some buyers have shared their acquisitions—like Apex’s four-year loan to the Museum of Natural History—there is no guarantee that Gus will follow suit. Scientists hope the buyer will prioritize public access, but without legal mandates, the fossil’s fate remains in private hands.
The next chapter for Gus depends on the buyer’s decision. For now, the world watches as the king of the dinosaurs takes his place in the annals of high-stakes auction history.
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