A 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, among the largest and most complete ever discovered, is scheduled to lead Sotheby’s Natural History Auction on July 14 in New York. The specimen is expected to sell for $20 million–$30 million, the highest estimate ever placed on a dinosaur skeleton. The fossil was found on a 6,500-acre property in Harding County, South Dakota, owned by rancher Gary “Gus” Licking, after years of uncovering small bone and tooth fragments. Licking recruited Theropoda Expeditions, and the team excavated the remains over three summers from 2021 to 2023. The fossil was then cleaned, identified, and catalogued before auction preparation.
"“Gus is really at the top end of the market-the sort of specimen that speaks to museums and collectors who genuinely understand how rare something like this is,” Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's vice-chairman and worldwide head of science and natural history, said over email. “When they see a fossil of this quality, excavated and prepared properly, they tend to move quickly because they know opportunities like this come around once in a generation at best.”"
"The late Cretaceous specimen, dubbed , will lead the auction house's Natural History Auction on July 14. Per Sotheby's, the 67-million-year-old artifact is among the largest and most complete GusT. rex skeletons ever discovered, and one of the finest examples in private hands. Expectations are accordingly lofty: the fossil is expected to bring in $20 million-$30 million-the highest estimate ever placed on a dinosaur skeleton."
"The fossil emerged from the ground in Harding County, South Dakota, on property owned by late rancher Gary “Gus” Licking. After years of turning up small bone and teeth fragments across his 6,500-acre land, Licking believed that it concealed something of major scientific value. He recruited Thomas Heitkamp and his team from Theropoda Expeditions to fossil-hunt in a suggested area-and was proven right."
"“In the end, our diligence paid off and we were delighted to discover what turned out to be a huge and incredibly complete specimen,” Heitkamp reflected in a statement. “It really does feel like tackling the world's hardest puzzle, except we have to find all the pieces first.” The remains were excavated over three summers between 2021 and 2023, before entering the lab to be cleaned, identified, and catalogued."
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