Rare Nanotyrannus skeleton sells for €42.6 million at New York auction
A nearly complete Nanotyrannus fossil, nicknamed “Jodi,” was purchased for €42.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction, making it the second-most valuable dinosaur ever sold.
A rare Nanotyrannus skeleton, dubbed “Jodi” after its discoverer in 2019, was sold for €42.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York after a 12-minute bidding contest conducted online and by phone. The auction house had initially estimated the specimen’s value between €4 million and €7 million.
The fossil, about half the length of an adult Tyrannosaurus rex, measures 2.9 metres tall and nearly 6 metres long and is estimated to be around 70 % complete. It is one of only three known Nanotyrannus skeletons, a species that lived roughly 67 million years ago and is distinguished by longer forelimbs, larger hand claws, and slender, blade-like teeth.
"Jodi" now ranks as the world’s second most valuable dinosaur ever sold, Sotheby’s said, noting that a T. rex specimen named “Gus” fetched €44 million earlier this year.
Scientists have voiced concerns about private sales of such significant fossils, arguing that they belong in museums or research institutions where they can be studied and displayed to the public. Sotheby’s thanked the professional fossil-hunting team featured in the Discovery Channel series “Dino Hunters” for their work in uncovering the specimen.