The largest stegosaurus fossil ever found will go up for auction next month with an estimated value of up to $6 million.
The specimen, known as “Apex,” was excavated near Colorado’s Morrison Formation, near Dinosaur City, in 2023, according to auction house Sotheby’s.
Part of the armored dinosaur was first discovered on the nearby property of commercial paleontologist Jason Cooper, according to the auction house. In total, it is 11 feet long and 20 feet long and includes 247 fossil bones. The dinosaur is believed to be between 146 million and 161 million years old.
Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s senior vice president and global head of science and popular culture, told ABC News that she remembers getting a call from Cooper about the find.
“Oh my gosh, we’ve got something incredible on our hands,” Hatton said of the discovery at the time.
Sotheby’s will auction the specimen on July 17 with an estimated value of $4 million to $6 million in New York. Sotheby’s sold a 200-pound Tyrannosaurus rex head in 1997 for $8.3 million.
As for how Apex earned its name, Sotheby’s says it’s considered the largest and most complete stegosaurus ever discovered.
For nearly a decade, a stegosaurus specimen named Sophie, housed in the National History Museum in London, held the title of the largest and most complete stegosaurus ever discovered. Apex is 30% larger than Sophie, based on a femur length of 45 inches, according to Sotheby’s.
“Through the careful process of excavation, preparation and installation, ‘Apex’ sets a new standard for all future discoveries of this size and further reinforces Stegosaurus’ enduring appeal and celebrated status in popular culture,” said Hatton in a press. release
But Sotheby’s sale next month could also fuel a long-running debate over whether or not dinosaur fossils should be sold to private collectors.
Paul David Polly, a professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Indiana University, said auctions often focus on finding complete dinosaurs versus studying the surrounding environment, giving an incomplete picture of the specimen.
“[An auction] fetishizes complete dinosaur skeletons during good careful scientific study,” said David Polly.
Furthermore, in the hands of private collectors, fossils may not be available to the public, which prevents scientists from studying them.
“Because [the fossils] are in a private collection, they cannot contribute to the variety of things we know about the world,” said Canadian paleontologist Greg Funston.
However, it is legal to sell fossils that have been found on private property in the U.S. Other countries such as Canada, Brazil and South Africa restrict the sale and export of fossils found in those countries.
David Polly said that private owners will give access to whoever can pay the most, which is often not scientists. “People perceive fossils as having monetary value, and scientists working for non-profit organizations don’t have the money to buy fossils,” he said.
Hatton says there are other issues to consider amid the debate over the private sale of fossils. “I think the debate is more about whether dinosaurs should be considered property and that’s a much bigger conversation,” Hatton said.
Spencer G. Lucas, an American paleontologist with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, said commercial paleontology can preserve fossils for science and education.
“My hope would be this [the fossils] it would be available for scientific research,” he said.
Ahead of its July 17 sale, the Apex will be on display at Sotheby’s galleries in New York, the auction house says. The exhibition will be free and open to the public.
