Nanotyrannus skeleton Jodi sells for $47.3m at Sotheby's auction
Sotheby's sold the Nanotyrannus skeleton 'Jodi' for $47.3m, the second most valuable dinosaur at auction, renewing debate over private fossil ownership.
The story in focus
Sotheby's sold a Nanotyrannus skeleton nicknamed Jodi for $47.3m in New York on Tuesday, far above its $6m–$9m estimate. The 191-element specimen is the second most valuable dinosaur ever auctioned, and the buyer has not been identified.
- Jodi sold for $47.3m after a 12-minute bidding battle among six online and phone bidders.
- Sotheby's had estimated the skeleton at $6m to $9m before the sale.
- The specimen has about 191 fossil bone elements and measures 19.6ft long.
- It is one of only three substantial Nanotyrannus skeletons known to science.
- Some paleontologists warn private buyers may keep significant fossils from research and the public.
What was sold
Jodi was found in 2019 by Jodi Pierson on her privately owned land in the Hell Creek Formation in Garfield County, Montana, and excavated by commercial paleontologist Clayton Phipps. Sotheby's lists the mounted skeleton at 19.6ft long and about 9.6ft tall, comprising roughly 191 fossil bone elements.
Sotheby's says the specimen is an adult and one of only three substantial Nanotyrannus skeletons known to science. It was first exhibited at London's Frieze Masters in October 2023 as a juvenile T. rex, before researchers confirmed Nanotyrannus as a distinct genus last autumn.
Price and precedent
The $47.3m result was the second-highest for a dinosaur at auction, behind the T. rex known as Gus, which Sotheby's sold for $50.1m in July. A Stegosaurus named Apex, sold by Sotheby's for $44.6m in July 2024, ranks third.
Sotheby's said six bidders competed online and by phone for twelve minutes before the hammer fell on a phone bid. The auction house has not publicly identified the buyer.
Scientific concerns
Thomas R Holtz Jr of the University of Maryland said fossils like Jodi can be lost to research and the public in private hands, and noted museums facing closure over cost overruns far below the sale price. Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh called it harrowing that the skeleton could disappear into a collector's vaults.
Megan Jacobs of the University of Portsmouth told BBC Radio 4 there are two sides to the debate, citing the time, effort and money involved in excavation, and said such specimens will without doubt end up in a museum at some point.
How much did the Nanotyrannus skeleton Jodi sell for, and how did that compare with expectations?
Jodi sold for $47.3m at Sotheby's in New York, well above the auction house's $6m–$9m estimate. It is the second most valuable dinosaur ever sold at auction, behind the T. rex known as Gus at $50.1m.
Sources & further reading
- Rare Nanotyrannus skeleton sells for $47.3m at New York auction ↗The Guardian
- Nanotyrannus skeleton sells for $47.3m in New York auction ↗BBC News
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