"Tyrannosaurus Fossil Worth Up to 11 Billion KRW to Be Auctioned"

The fossil of a Tyrannosaurus rex (T-Rex) is set to be auctioned for the first time in Europe. The price is expected to exceed 11 billion KRW.

On the 14th (local time), the British media outlet The Times reported that an auction of a T-Rex fossil will be held at the Zurich auction house of Swiss auction company Koller. The auction is scheduled to take place next month, and the fossil being sold this time measures approximately 11 meters in length.

This T-Rex fossil was discovered over about five years from 2008 to 2013 in Montana and Wyoming, USA. It was excavated from a dinosaur that lived approximately 66 million years ago and was reborn as a specimen completed by combining fossils from a total of three dinosaurs.

Koller refers to this fossil as the "Trinity Skeleton," meaning that three were combined to create a perfect single specimen. They stated it is "one of the best-preserved specimens known." The current owner of the fossil is unknown but is believed to be a private collector.

Tyrannosaurus rex fossil. Image provided for illustrative purposes and not related to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The winning bid for the fossil is expected to range between ?4.5 million (about 7.1 billion KRW) and ?7.2 million (about 11.4 billion KRW). Some experts have expressed concern that the fossil’s quality is so high that the winning bid could soar beyond what museums can afford to purchase.

There is a risk that it could end up as a private collection of a wealthy tycoon, making it inaccessible to the general public. This would also hinder research by paleontology experts.

In fact, Professor Thomas K. of Carthage University told the media, "There are only 59 dinosaur specimens in museums worldwide that scholars can access for research purposes." In contrast, there are 74 in private collections.

Professor K. lamented, "This auction is a great loss to everyone interested in natural history, from young students to scientists."

"Fossil collecting" has long been one of the main interests of tycoons. According to The Times, financial magnate JP Morgan and oil tycoon John Rockefeller were enthusiastic about purchasing dinosaur fossils in the 19th century. In a 2007 auction held in Beverly Hills, USA, actor Nicolas Cage also purchased dinosaur bones.

Dinosaur fossil auctions have been booming in recent years. According to the US media outlet The New York Times (NYT), early last year, the auction house Christie's sold the fossilized skeleton of Deinonychus antirrhopus for $12.4 million (about 16.1 billion KRW).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.