Shen the T. rex to go under the hammer in Asia: ‘Scientifically-important’ 40-foot dinosaur skeleton could fetch up to $25 MILLION at auction
- Shen is anticipated to sell for between £14 million to £23.4 million, or $15 million to $25 million in Hong Kong
- The auction on November 30 will mark the first time a T. rex skeleton has ever been offered at auction in Asia
- Christie’s has already hosted the sales of dinosaur remains including a T. rex fossil that sold for $31.8 million
A 40-foot T. rex skeleton known as Shen could fetch up to $25 million when it goes up for auction in Hong Kong in November.
Shen, which was unearthed in the Hell Creek Formation, in McCone County, Montana, lived during the Cretaceous Period, around 68-66 million years ago.
The ‘scientifically-important’ and rare skeleton has since been reassembled in an accurate pose ‘epitomising the T. rex’s infamous ferocity’.
The auction, set to take place on November 30, will be the first time a T. rex skeleton has ever been offered at auction in Asia.
Staff at auction house Christie’s expect the sale price to be in the region of HK$120 million to HK$200 million (£14 million to £23.4 million, or $15 million to $25 million).
The winning buyer could potentially be a multi-millionaire private collector who wants to display Shen in their massive mansion – something that has proved a point of contention with paleontologists.
A 40-foot T. rex skeleton known as Shen could fetch up to $25 million when it goes up for auction in Hong Kong. It will be the first time a T. rex skeleton has ever been offered at auction in Asia
The ‘scientifically-important’ complete skeleton has been reassembled in a an accurate pose ‘epitomising the T. rex’s infamous ferocity’
Shen, which was unearthed in the Hell Creek Formation, in McCone County, Montana, would have lived during the Cretaceous Period, around 68-66 million years ago
T. rex is a species of dinosaur that lived between 68 million to 66 million years ago in what is now the western side of North America.
The skeleton will be physically on view at the Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall in Singapore, before being displayed and auctioned at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
WHAT WAS T. REX?
Tyrannosaurs rex was a species of bird-like, meat-eating dinosaur.
It lived between 68–66 million years ago in what is now the western side of North America.
They could reach up to 40 feet (12 metres) long and 12 feet (4 metres) tall.
More than 50 fossilised specimens of T.Rex have been collected to date.
The monstrous animal had one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom.
Shen the T. rex has been researched by palaeontologists Dr David A. Burnham at the University of Kansas and Dr John R. Nudds at the University of Manchester.
‘T. rex are incredibly rare,’ said Dr Nudds. ‘Just one in 80 million T. rex dinosaurs were preserved as a fossil. Only two have ever sold at auction. T. rex is the greatest of all dinosaurs and Shen is one of the best.
‘T. rex is the epitome of evolution for meat-eating animals. It had the strongest bite force, the largest orbits for any vertebrate and a brain that was remarkably advanced for dinosaurs.’
The skeleton will be physically on view at the Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall in Singapore between October 28-30.
It will then be transported 1,600 miles southwest and displayed and auctioned at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, ahead of the auction.
‘It is an honour to be entrusted with the first auction in Asia of a T. rex skeleton – a groundbreaking moment for the market in the region,’ said Francis Belin, president of Christie’s Asia Pacific.
‘This is a world class specimen for museums and institutions, and its auction in Hong Kong in November offers an unprecedented opportunity for APAC collectors to own an exceptional piece of our global natural history.’
Shen the T. rex measures a colossal 43 feet long, 16 feet high and 7 feet wide (12.2 metres long, 4.6 metres high and 2.1 metres wide) and weighs 1,400 kg.
Christie’s said the specimen will be auctioned with ‘full rights’, so the lucky buyer will officially be able to rename the specimen.
Two dinosaur skeletons have already been auctioned at Christie’s in New York – Stan the T. rex, which sold for a record breaking $31.8 million in 2020, and more recently this May, The Raptor, which sold for $12.4 million.
At the time, the $31.8 million for Stan nearly quadrupled the previous highest price for a dinosaur at auction.
‘We have witnessed a growing demand in the region for objects of historical significance,’ Belin said.
‘We sincerely look forward to engaging museums, institutions, collectors and the general public around the world for this remarkable opportunity.’
Two dinosaur skeletons have already been auctioned at Christie’s in New York, including Stan the T. rex (pictured), which sold for a record breaking $31.8 million in 2020
In May 2022, The Raptor (pictured) sold for $12.4 million at Christie’s in New York. Paleontologists have slammed the act of selling dinosaur remains to private collectors
Meanwhile, a 10-foot-tall Gorgosaurus skeleton was sold to an anonymous bidder at auction in July for $6.1million at Sotheby’s in New York.
And the remains of a Triceratops nicknamed Big John sold at Paris Drouot for $7.4 million in October 2021.
Paleontologists have slammed the act of selling dinosaur remains to private collectors, with one telling Dailymail.com that it’s akin to ‘the last copy of a book being thrown into the fire’.
Another said priceless remains are becoming ‘little more than toys for the rich’, like a piece of fine art or old bottles of whisky.
Sue, Stan and Big John: ‘Celebrity’ dinosaurs sold for sky-high prices
SUE: THE T. REX THAT STARTED IT ALL
The market for dinosaur bones heated up after a T. rex nicknamed Sue sold at auction for $8.4 million in 1997. It was the first ever dinosaur to be showcased at Sotheby’s.
Although Sue was purchased by the Chicago-based Field Museum, the hefty price tag opened the floodgates for auction and was enough to encourage the public to search for fossilized remains and sell them for top dollar amounts.
Sue was found on August 12, 1990 on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation in South Dakota that was owned by Maurice Williams.
However, it was discovered by paleontologist Susan Hendrickson, the scientist for whom the specimen is named, and paleontologist Peter Larson.
Larson paid Williams $5,000 to take the T. rex, but Larson began to receive sizable offers for the T.rex shortly after it was pulled from the ground. After hearing this, Williams said he gave the scientists permission to search the property, but not take anything they found.
Federal agents seized Sue in 1992 on the grounds that government permission had not been granted for the removal of the fossil from federal lands and a year later, Sue was given to Williams who brought it to auction.
Sue was put up for sale in Sotheby’s art auction in 1997 and nine bidders went head-to-head for the dinosaur. And after eight minutes, it was Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History that won.
Auctioning of dinosaurs began when Sue (pictured), a T.rex, was sold for $8.4 million. Although it was obtained by a museum, the big dollar sign encouraged the public to find prehistoric remains and sell them to the highest bidder
BIG JOHN: THE MOST EXPENSIVE TRICERATOPS EVER SOLD
Discovered by Walter Stein in 2014 when he was exploring a ranch in Perkins County, South Dakota, this specimen was sent to an auction house in France where it was bought for a whopping $7.7 million to an anonymous private collector from the U.S.
The massive skeleton is 60 percent complete. Its skull is 75 percent intact.
Big John is one of more than 100 known triceratops fossils, which is one of the most commonly found in North America. This specimen was also found to have a wound on its frill, the area around the neck, that was likely made by a rival dinosaur’s horn.
Before the auction, Big John was taken to Italy, where study co-researcher Flavio Bacchia, of the fossil restoration company Zoic, prepared the specimen.
Big John’s fate remains unknown.
Big John was found by Walter Stein in 2014 while he was exploring a ranch in Perkins County, South Dakota. This specimen was also sent to an auction house in France where it was bought for a whopping $7.7 million to an anonymous private collector from the US. No one knows where Big John is to this day
STAN: A RECORD-BREAKING $31.8MILLION SALE – BEFORE REAPPEARING IN THE U.A.E
Stan, a 70 percent complete skeleton of a T. rex, was sold for $31.8 million in a line of artwork in November 2020.
Stan was discovered in South Dakota in 1987 and named after the amateur paleontologist who came across the remains, Stan Sacrison.
The remains were initially thought to be of a triceratops, but a further analysis in 1992 showed its true identity as a T.rex.
The skeleton includes 188 bones, making it 70 percent complete. However, its skull is the most complete and preserved found to date.
The skeleton vanished from the public eye when an anonymous bidder paid the record-breaking amount.
Nearly two years later it was found that Stan traveled from New York to Abu Dhabi where it resides at a new natural history museum in the United Arab Emirates.
Stan, another T.rex, was sold for $3.18 million in 2007. One and a half years later it was found that Stan traveled from New York to Abu Dhabi where it resides at a new natural history museum in the United Arab Emirates for all to marvel at its wonders. Stan’s happy ending, however, is not typical of a lot of dinosaur remains discovered in US soil
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