Tyrannosaurus Shen Rex will go under the hammer in Asia

Shen, who was discovered in the Hell Creek Formation in McCone County, Montana in 2020, lived during the Cretaceous period, about 68 to 66 million years ago.

The scientifically important and rare skeleton has since been reassembled in a precise pose “representing the infamous ferocity of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.”

The auction, which will take place on November 30, will be the first time that a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton has been put up for auction in Asia.

Auction house Christie’s expects the sale price to be between 120 million and 200 million Hong Kong dollars (14 million to 23.4 million pounds, or $15 million to $25 million).

A potential winning buyer could be a multi-millionaire private collector who wants to exhibit Shen in his vast mansion, which has been the subject of controversy with paleontologists.

Shen Tyrannosaurus was studied by paleontologists Dr. David A. Burnham of the University of Kansas and Dr. John R. Nudds of the University of Manchester.

“Tyrannosaurs are incredibly rare,” Dr. Nudds said. “Only one of the 80 million Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaurs has survived as a fossil. Only two of them have ever been sold at auction. Tyrannosaurus rex is the greatest of all dinosaurs, and Shen is one of the best, it is the epitome of evolution for meat-eating animals. It had the strongest bite force, the largest orbits of any vertebrate, and an amazingly developed brain for a dinosaur.”

The skeleton, which is currently owned by a private collector, will be on public display at the Victoria Theater and Concert Hall in Singapore from October 28 to 30.

It will then be transported to the South West and put up for auction at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center ahead of the face-to-face auction.

“I am honored to be trusted to host Asia’s first Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton auction – a groundbreaking moment for the market in the region,” said Francis Belin, president of Christie’s Asia Pacific.

Shen Tyrannosaurus Rex is a whopping 43 feet long, 16 feet high and 7 feet wide (12.2 meters long, 4.6 meters high and 2.1 meters wide) and weighs 1,400 kg.

Christie’s said the specimen will be auctioned with “full rights” so that the lucky buyer can officially rename the specimen. Two dinosaur skeletons have already been up for auction at Christie’s in New York – Stan’s Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, which sold for a record $31.8 million in 2020, and most recently, in May of this year, the Predator skeleton, which sold for $12. 4 million dollars.

At the time, Stan’s $31.8 million price was almost four times the previous highest price for a dinosaur at auction.

“We have witnessed a growing demand in the region for properties of historical significance,” Belin said. “We sincerely hope to attract museums, institutions, collectors and the general public around the world to this exciting opportunity.”

Meanwhile, a 10-foot Gorgosaurus skeleton was sold to an anonymous buyer at Sotheby’s in New York in July for $6.1 million. And the remains of a Triceratops nicknamed Big John were sold in Paris to Drouot for $7.4 million in October 2021.

Paleontologists have criticized the sale of dinosaur remains to private collectors, with one telling Dailymail.com that it is akin to “the last copy of a book thrown into a fire and that priceless remains become ‘nothing more than toys for the rich'” like fine art or old whiskey bottles. “.

Christina DENISYUK.

Photo CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD