New York: The most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex Skull ever discovered will go up for auction on December 9th, 2022, in a special single-lot sale at Sotheby’s New York, where it is estimated to sell at a cost between $15 million and $20 million.

The skull, known as “Maximus,” is thought to be 76 million years old. It stands around 6 feet 7 inches tall, weighs more than 200 pounds, and is mounted on a pedestal.

Sotheby’s revealed that the skull is in great shape, which is “very rare” for a specimen of its kind. The tooth-bearing jaw components, the majority of the major external bones on both sides, and a large number of the teeth are all still present in the fossil despite its old age. A more complete skull is more valuable than a composite specimen because experts are in agreement that all the bones came from the same creature.

It is quite remarkable that the skull is in such a wonderful shape. On the other hand, the dinosaur’s body was mostly destroyed when erosion exposed its bones.

According to Sotheby’s, the skull was discovered on private property in South Carolina’s Hell Creek Formation, which is home to more tyrannosaur fossils than any other place on Earth. The dig site where Maximus’ skull was discovered had deteriorated over millions of years, leaving the head as the only component of the skeleton that had escaped erosion. On December 9, the skull will be sold without a minimum price. Sotheby’s assesses that it is likely to be one of the most expensive fossils ever sold at auction.

‘Stan’ set the record for the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold

When another tyrannosaur specimen from the Hell Creek Formation named Stan was sold in a Christie’s auction last year, a new record was set for the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction with a valuation of $31.8 million. Even though no one knows who owns the fossil right now, Abu Dhabi Government had stated in May that Stan would be the centerpiece of a brand-new national natural history museum that will open in late 2025.

Fossils have been sold for exorbitant sums of money ever since the first dinosaur to ever be sold at auction, a tyrannosaur named Sue, was brought for an eye-watering price of $8.36 million in 1997. A skeleton of the dinosaur that served as the model for Jurassic Park’s Velociraptor was sold for $12.4 million in May, while a 70 million-year-old skeleton of the dinosaur Gorgosaurus brought in $6.1 million in July, demonstrating how demand has increased over the past few years.

Reports say that Hollywood actors Nicolas Cage, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio are all big fans of collecting dinosaur fossils.

Scientists have often criticized the sale of dinosaur bones to private collectors, claiming that museums and research institutions are unable to compete with the exorbitant prices of specimens at auction. Additionally, private collectors of fossils might keep the bones secret from the general public and from professional researchers. Critics have expressed concerns that the demand for skeleton theft and trafficking has increased as a result of auction price increases. After it was discovered to have been stolen, Mr. Cage returned the Tyrannosaurus bataar dinosaur skull, for which he had paid $276,000 in 2015.

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