UPDATE
Jul 14, 2026 1:31 PM CDT
The dinosaur world has a new king in one respect: A Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil sold for $50.1 million at Sotheby's auction house in New York on Tuesday, reports CNBC. That breaks the previous record for a dinosaur fossil by nearly $6 million. The buyer has not been revealed.
Jul 13, 2026 11:15 AM CDT
One of the most complete T. rex fossils ever discovered is about to hit the auction block, with the potential to become the most expensive dinosaur ever sold. Dubbed "Gus," the 38-foot-long skeleton will be sold by Sotheby's in New York on Tuesday, with an expected sale price of $20 million to $30 million, per NPR. Given recent history, however, it could sell for much more. The current record holder for most expensive fossil, "Apex" the Stegosaurus, sold for $44.6 million, or 11 times its estimate, in 2024, per the BBC. Years earlier, the T. rex known as "Stan" sold for nearly $32 million despite an estimated value of $6 million to $8 million.
Gus, unearthed on private land in South Dakota beginning in 2021, is named for ranch owner Gary "Gus" Licking, who long suspected something big was buried on his 6,500-acre property but died before the skeleton was fully assembled. It is not only one of the most complete T. rexes ever found—61% by bone count and 75% to 80% by mass—but also one of the largest, per CNN. It shows evidence of healed bone fractures and even "a huge bite mark on the top of the skull," adding to its scientific importance, a Sotheby's official tells the BBC. Yet with dinosaur fossil prices soaring, museums say they've been priced out of the sale, leaving paleontologists to fear for Gus' fate.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
