A rare Martian meteorite, a 1.6-kilogram Australian gold nugget and an astronaut's space suit from 1985 are among the highlights of Koller's Out of This World auction, which will take place in Zurich on April 18. Though as much as these treasures are already catching the interest of collectors, they are likely to be eclipsed (literally) by a lot that surpasses all: the complete skeleton of an adult Tyrannosaurus Rex – a first on the European auction market
Related: Here's Who Buys Dinosaur Skeletons at Auction and Why
The fossil skeleton of 'TRX-293 Trinity', the name given to this imposing prehistoric lizard, consists of 293 bones, of which 50.17% contain original bone material. These come from three extraordinary Tyrannosaurus specimens excavated between 2008 and 2013 in the important Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations in Montana and Wyoming respectively. Their age is between 65 and 67 million years, thus placing them in the Upper Cretaceous period, which ended with the extinction of the dinosaurs. Since complete skeletons are rare to find, making one from multiple dinosaurs is a common practice according to experts.
"In all three specimens, the preparation was done very well, and the whole thing is very well preserved," commented Nils Knötschke, one of the world's leading fossil preparators, in Koller's press release. "What particularly surprised me is that the fragile, delicate spines of the dorsal vertebrae and the cervical vertebrae are present. The very fine cranial bones from inside the skull are not usually preserved, as they are often paper-thin, but these are preserved in Trinity."
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So far, only 32 skeletons of adult T-rexes have been found (as of April 2021, according to the scientific journal Nature), making them a rare appearance on the auction market. The 11.6 metre long and 3.9 metre high 'TRX-293 Trinity' is only the third complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton of such exceptional quality to be auctioned worldwide. In Europe, the auction is even a premiere.
The rarity, as well as the quality of the restoration and composition, make 'TRX-293 Trinity', which comes from a US private collection, an interesting and desirable object, with an estimated value of CHF 5-8 million (around $5.4-8.6 million). The world auction record for a T-rex skeleton was set in 2020 with the sale of 'STAN', who went to an anonymous bidder for $31.8 million.
Related: T-rex Skeleton Breaks New Record
For those who cannot give 'TRX-293 Trinity' a new home, but want to see it once, there is the opportunity to book a time slot from March 29 to April 16 at the concert foyer of the Tonhalle, Zurich.
