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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Alice Fisher

Dinosaur head sold for $6m at US auction reveals new breed of art collectors

The Maximus T rex skull
The Maximus T rex skull, which sold at Sotheby’s in New York. Photograph: Sotheby's

Sotheby’s New York Luxury Week auctions offered a surprising first earlier this month. This series of sales showcases “the best of the best” in opulent goods, from jewellery and cars to wine and handbags. So you’d expect rare Rolexes or a mint condition 911 Porsche Targa, but the rarest possession up for grabs this time was a skull.

Named Maximus, it’s one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skulls ever discovered. The first of its kind to appear at public auction, it sold for $6,069,500 to one of a new breed of art collectors who view dinosaurs as collectibles.

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