A rare Nanotyrannus heads to auction as the fossil boom roars on (opens the source in a new tab)
- Sotheby’s will sell ‘Jodi’, a Nanotyrannus found in Montana in 2019, in New York at the end of October, estimating $6–9 million; it is one of three specimens known to science.
- It follows a record $50.1 million for the T. rex ‘Gus’ this year, after a 10-minute bidding battle, and Ken Griffin’s $44.6 million Stegosaurus in 2024.
- A paper last year by Lindsay Zanno and James Napoli settled an 80-year debate: Nanotyrannus was its own genus, not a young T. rex. Jodi is the first to sell since.
- $6–9mn
- auction estimate
- 3
- known specimens
Why it matters Fossils have become a trophy asset for the very rich.
Other side Griffin’s Stegosaurus is on museum display, but where ‘Gus’ went isn’t public. Should rare finds that settle science debates go to private buyers?