Dinosaur enthusiasts, beware: this autumn, you will have the rare opportunity to own the largest dinosaur skeleton ever auctioned: an Apatosaurus nicknamed 'Vulcain'.
On November 16, the Parisian auction houses Collin Du Bocage and Barbarossa will present an exceptional specimen for sale, with an expected price of between €3 million and €5 million.
This herbivorous dinosaur, whose name in Greek means 'deceptive lizard', was over 20 metres long and had a long, narrow tail, possibly used as a whip against predators or to maintain balance while walking. This giant lived in herds and was massive, weighing as much as five adult elephants.
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The skeleton, which is more than 80% complete, is approximately 150 million years old and was discovered in 2018 in Wyoming, after three years of excavation. The expert on this colossal skeleton is Eric Mickeler, who has been responsible for numerous similar auctions at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Aguttes over the past 20 years.
Whoever purchases Vulcain will also receive GPS coordinates of the discovery site, the excavation plan, and an osteological map with color-coded authentic bones.
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In 2020, Stan, a 65-million-year-old T-Rex skeleton, was auctioned and sold for $31.8 million in New York, making it the most expensive fossil at the time. However, that record was recently surpassed by a stegosaurus skeleton nicknamed Apex, which fetched a record $44.6 million at Sotheby's in New York. Apex, a herbivore approximately 8.2 metres long and 3.3 metres tall, was discovered by chance in 2022 by a palaeontologist near a town aptly named Dinosaur in Colorado.
Related: T-rex Skeleton Breaks New Record
Sold to an anonymous buyer, Apex thus became the most valuable fossil ever sold at auction.
Recent events underscore the fascination that dinosaurs continue to hold in the collectors' market and beyond.
For those interested in viewing Vulcain, the specimen will be on public display until November 3 at the Domaine de Dampierre-en-Yvelines, a château with adjoining park and gardens in the heart of the Vallée de Chevreuse, 45 minutes from Paris. The château, once home to Louis XIV and Louis XV, will host this extraordinary dinosaur as its guest of honor until November 16.
