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The Conversation
The Conversation
Mark Westgarth, Professor, History of the Art Market, University of Leeds

Why it’s not a problem that dinosaurs are sold for millions of dollars – art historian

Dinosaur Sotheby United States Geology New York SVP
Sotheby's publicity photograph for the _Ceratosaurus_ fossil. Sotheby's, CC BY-SA

A juvenile dinosaur fossil, Ceratosaurus nasicornis, has sold at Sotheby’s New York for US$30.5 million (£22.7 million). It is part of a recent resurgence of art-market interest in fossils and natural history – palaeontology and geology especially. Indeed, this latest dinosaur sale was part of an auction specifically dedicated to natural history.

Led by iconic Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils, the prices for such specimens have reached eyewatering levels in recent years. “Stan”, currently the most expensive T-Rex, sold for US$31.8 million at Christie’s New York in 2020. Then a Stegosaurus called “Apex” sold for US$44.6 million in New York in 2024.

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