The fossil auction market has reached a new high, as Gus, one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever discovered, sold for US$50.1 million at Sotheby’s New York on 14 July, becoming the most expensive fossil ever sold at auction.
Unearthed in South Dakota and measuring nearly 11.6 metres long, the 67-million-year-old specimen surpassed the previous record of US$44.6 million, set in 2024 when Apex the stegosaurus sold at Sotheby’s to Ken Griffin, founder of hedge fund Citadel.
Lot 20 | Gus | Tyrannosaurus rex, Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian Stage (approx. 67 million years ago)
Hell Creek Formation, Harding County, South Dakota, USA
Length: approx. 11.6 m; height: approx. 3.8 m
Provenance:
- Excavated on private land in Harding County, South Dakota, over field seasons in 2021, 2022 & 2023
Estimate: US$20,000,000 - 30,000,000
Hammer Price: US$43,000,000
Sold: US$50,130,000
Offered with an estimate between US$20-30 million, the lot opened at US$17 million and drew nearly 20 bids from at least five bidders. It eventually hammered at US$43 million to a phone bidder, paddle 371, represented by Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's Worldwide Head of Science and Natural History.
The four highest prices for fossils at auction to date are:
- Gus the Tyrannosaurus rex | Sold: US$50.1 million, Sotheby's New York, 2026
- Apex the Stegosaurus | Sold: US$44.6 million (est. US$4 million), Sotheby's New York, 2024
- Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex | Sold: US$31.8 million (est. US$6 million), Christie's New York, 2020
- A juvenile Ceratosaurus skeleton | Sold: US$30.5 million (est. US$4 million), Sotheby's New York, 2025
Apex, largest and most complete known Stegosaurus fossil | Sold: US$44.6 million, Sotheby's New York, 2024
Stan, Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton | Sold: US$31.8 million, Christie’s New York, 2020
A juvenile Ceratosaurus skeleton (the only known juvenile Ceratosaurus fossil) | Sold: US$30.5 million, Sotheby's New York, 2025
Complete dinosaur skeletons are exceptionally rare. Over millions of years, scavenging, decay, and geological pressure usually leave fossils fragmentary, and even museum specimens are often supplemented with casts.
Since the first T. rex was identified in 1902, only about 32 relatively complete adult skeletons have been found. Of these, just three are known to preserve more than 60% of their original bone count: Sue, with 250 original bones, or nearly 73% of a full skeleton; Stan, with about 188 bones, or roughly 63%; and Gus, with 183 bones, or about 61%.
Sue and Stan each set auction records for a fossil when they came to market. Today, Sue is on view at the Field Museum in Chicago, while Stan is housed at the newly opened Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi.
Gus is approximately 61% complete by bone count
Gus’ left third metatarsal bone in the field
For major dinosaur specimens, value is not determined by bone count alone, but also by how much original bone material survives. Sue is thought to be around 90% original by bone mass, Stan around 70%, and Gus roughly 75% to 80% – meaning most of the missing elements in these three T. rex specimens are relatively small, less critical bones.
Gus is particularly notable for its skull, often the most prized part of a T. rex skeleton. Around 82% of its skull bones are represented, including all six dentitions.
An adult T. rex could grow to more than 12 metres in length and weigh over 5,000 kilograms, with an enormous bite force and around 60 razor‑sharp teeth that were continually replaced throughout its life. Some scientists have suggested that, if a T. rex were somehow transported into the present day, its jaws would be powerful enough to crush a car in a single bite.
Research also points to a highly developed diencephalon – a key part of the forebrain that serves as the body’s central control and relay hub – giving T. rex vision comparable to that of an eagle. Combined with an acute sense of smell, this would have made tracking and locating prey remarkably effective.
Gus has an exceptionally preserved skull, with approximately 82% of the bones represented
Another factor in the value of a dinosaur skeleton is the bundle of rights that comes with it.
As with any collectibles, owning the physical specimen does not automatically include control over its intellectual property. When Stan sold, for example, rights to produce 3D replicas or sell related merchandise online were not included, limiting its commercial potential.
By contrast, Apex the stegosaurus, the juvenile Ceratosaurus that ranks as the fourth-most-expensive fossil at auction, and Gus have all been offered with full associated rights. Their buyers can license images of the dinosaur fossil, produce toys and replicas, or even issue NFTs based on them.
Detail of Gus’ complete right foot, and near-complete left foot
Gus’ caudal vertebrae and associated chevrons
Gus was excavated between 2021 and 2023 in the Hell Creek Formation and is named after Gary “Gus” Licking, the landowner on whose property it was found.
Stretching across Montana, North and South Dakota, and Wyoming, Hell Creek is one of the richest sources of dinosaur fossils in North America and has produced some of the most significant T. rex discoveries, including the first relatively complete skeleton, as well as Sue and Stan.
The formation has also yielded many of the late Cretaceous period’s best-known dinosaurs, including Triceratops, Pachycephalosaurus, Ankylosaurus, and Edmontosaurus.
Other Highlight Lots:
Lot 21 | Tyrannosaurus Rex Leg, Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian Stage (approx. 67 million years ago)
Hell Creek Formation, Ziebach County, South Dakota, USA
Height: approx. 2.9 m
Sold to Benefit the New Natural History Museum of the Black Hills, Operated by the Black Hills Institute
Estimate: US$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Hammer Price: US$1,400,000
Sold: US$1,792,000
Lot 8 | Allosaurus Jaws With Teeth – Unique Skull Display, Late Jurassic (approx. 150 million years ago)
Morrison Formation, Moffat County, Colorado, USA
Provenance:
- Excavated in 1996-1997 by Bob Witherell on private land in what is now known as Skull Creek Quarry, Moffat County, Colorado
Estimate: US$800,000 - 1,200,000
Hammer Price: US$1,200,000
Sold: US$1,536,000
Lot 26 | Juvenile Gryposaurus, Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian Stage (approx. 74 million years ago)
Judith River Formation, Choteau County, Montana, USA
Length: approx. 2.7 m, height: approx. 1.5 m
Provenance:
- Excavated over field seasons in 2014, 2015, and 2016 on private land, Judith River Formation, Choteau County, Montana, USA
Estimate: US$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Hammer Price: US$1,000,000
Sold: US$1,280,000
Lot 22 | Partial jaw of a Tyrannosaurus rex with four black embedded teeth, Late Cretaceous (approx. 67 million years ago)
Hell Creek Formation, Dawson County, Montana, USA
23.5 x 10.2 cm
Estimate: US$200,000 - 300,000
Hammer Price: US$150,000
Sold: US$192,000
Lot 9 | Stegosaurus Dorsal Plate, Late Jurassic (approx. 150 million years ago)
Morrison Formation, Bone Cabin Quarry, Albany County, Wyoming, USA
63.5 x 61 x 3.8 cm
Provenance:
- Excavated in 1997 by Tyler Pinegar while working for Western Paleontolgy, on private land at Bone Cabin Quarry, Albany County, Wyoming
Estimate: US$80,000 - 120,000
Hammer Price: US$110,000
Sold: US$140,800
Lot 25 | Tyrannosaurus Rex Tooth, Late Cretaceous (approx. 67 million years ago)
Hell Creek Formation, Harding County, South Dakota, USA
Length: 10.8 cm
Estimate: US$40,000 - 60,000
Hammer Price: US$70,000
Sold: US$89,600
Auction Details:
Auction House: Sotheby's New York
Sale: Natural History including Gus Rex
Date: 14 July 2026
Number of Lots: 168