dinosaur

Dinosaur for Sale (still)!

Filed under: Auctions

Bonhams & Butterfields tried to unload a dinosaur skeleton Saturday, but the piece was one of 17 lots that didn't move at the Natural History auction at the Venetian in Las Vegas. The auction house had originally hoped to pull in estimated $6 million for the 66-million-year-old bones of a 40-foot Tyronnosaurus Rex. In all, it was shooting for around $8 million in sales. Only 60 percent of the lots coming under the gavel sold.

The T. rex skeleton that nobody wanted (at least not at that price), named Samson, is the third most complete ever pulled from the ground, according to Thomas Lindgren, Co-Director of Natural History at Bonhams & Butterfields.

"'Samson'" is one of four known T. rex specimens which display characteristics that set it apart from other examples of the species," Lindgren continues. "In the dynamic science of paleontology, variation from one specimen to the next may indicate varying developmental phases, normal variations within a species, or it may represent the discovery of an entirely new species. As it stands, experts identify 'Samson' as Tyrannosaurus rex."

Samson was the first T. rex to come on the scene since 1997, when Sotheby's auctioned Sue, a dinosaur of similar size. The Field Museum in Chicago picked her up for a record $8.36 million – a price that still has not been topped. Sue is considered to be the largest and most complete T. rex ever excavated.

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Rare Dinosaur Skeleton Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Today will see the sale of an unusual artifact, a 150-million-year-old complete skeleton of a dinosaur. The I.M. Chait Gallery in Manhattan is auctioning off a nine-foot-long dryosaurus being sold by Utah-based Western Paleontological Laboratories as part of a natural history auction that includes other skeletons, fossils and minerals. The skeleton is one of only two of its kind in the world. Most skeletons like this end up in museums but some are bought by private individuals. The skeleton could bring up to $500,000.

UPDATE: Luxist tipster Nick led me to a CNN report that the skeleton did not sell but that two museums are said to be looking into buying it.

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Tags: auction, dinosaur, new york, NewYork, skeleton

$55,000 Life-Sized Dinosaur

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

If all your child keeps asking for is a pony count yourself lucky, because they could be after one of these. Although this "pet" won't need any food or exercise, it will need just as much room (if not more!). It's a life-sized replica of a Camarasaurus dinosaur, and although it's not really intended as a toy I'm not sure what you would use if for, unless you're building a theme park or something. Handmade of fiberglass and resin, it stands 18+ feet tall and will be quite the conversation piece wherever you put it. But life-sized dinos don't come cheap, and this one will cost you £27,999.99 (about $55,000).

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Tags: camarasaurus, dino, dinosaur, life, life-size, replica, size, sized

Dinosaur Fossil for Charity

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

It may look like an ordinary rock, but this rock is actually the fossilized cast of a dinosaur brain and the closest you can get to a real dinosaur brain without buying an island and making your own Jurassic Park. The rare fossil, discovered in Sussex, is 135 million years old and shows "finely preserved impressions of nerves blood vessels and other soft tissue" from the brain of an Iguanodon. The auction entry suggests that it would make a great piece for a museum looking to expand their collection, though it would certainly be a conversation starter for a private home. The bidding starts at £50,000 and 60% of the final sale price will support Children's Brain Tumour Research Center.

[Thanks, James]

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Tags: auction, dinosaur, ebay, fossil, rock, stone

Fossils up for Auction in London

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

On April 20th, Bloomsbury Auctions will auction off a 35-million year old sabre-tooth cat skull. The skull, which is intact and in outstanding condition, was discovered in South Dakota is expected to go for at least $8,000-12,000. Also at the auction, there will be several other fossilized items. A 200-million year old, 2-meter long aquatic lizard known as an ichthyosaurus is expected to fetch $35,000-50,000 dollars. Other lots include 120-million year old fossilized Hadrosaur eggs from China and 160-million year old sauropod excrement valued at approximately $1,000.

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Tags: auction, bloomsbury auctions, cat, cretacious, dinosaur, england, excrement, fossil, ichthyosaurus, jurassic, lizard, london, million year old, sabre-tooth cat, Sabre-toothCat, saurapod, skeleton, skull