Sotheby’s to Auction 150-Million-Year-Old Stegosaurus Fossil: NPR

A 150-million-year-old stegosaurus fossil is on display at Sotheby’s in New York. The fossil, nicknamed “Apex” by the paleontologist who discovered it, is expected to fetch between $4 million and $6 million at auction, making it one of the most expensive fossils ever sold.

Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

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Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

During the Jurassic period, a massive four-legged creature with kite-like plates on its back once roamed the Earth. Now, some 150 million years later, the skeletal remains of one of them are being auctioned off.

On Wednesday, Sotheby’s will hold a live auction of the stegosaurus fossil known as “Apex.” The auction house expects the specimen to sell for between $4 million and $6 million, making it one of the most expensive fossils ever sold.

Measuring 11 feet tall and 27 feet long, Apex is also considered one of the most complete skeletal structures of its kind. Paleontologist Cary Woodruff was among the scientists who examined the specimen at the Colorado dig site where it was discovered.

NPR’s Andrew Mambo spoke with Woodruff, who is also a curator at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami.

The “scales” or bony plates of a 150-million-year-old stegosaurus fossil are back at Sotheby’s in New York.

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Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Cary Woodruff: The first time I saw this specimen, I was with the person who had recovered it from the quarry where it was found in Colorado. And the rock was incredibly hard. So it’s never like jurassic parkbut it wasn’t like a beautiful skeleton laid out and oh my God, you could see the whole thing as clear as day. But at least I remember, you know, looking. There’s part of a stegosaurus here. And again, even for any fossil, it’s really magical to see that almost like an ugly duckling, too, for any fossil to see it from that process of preparation to the end result. You know, it’s always very special for a scientist.

Andrew Mambo: So Sotheby’s is going to auction this stegosaurus fossil on July 17th. The auction house estimates it will sell for between $4 million and $6 million. How do you put a monetary value on a dinosaur fossil?

Woodruff: As a scientist, I would say that fossils have no monetary value. You know, these numbers are largely arbitrary. I mean, every fossil is literally unique. And I’m not saying this as a starry-eyed scientist. No two animals are exactly alike. I don’t think fossils should be allowed to be auctioned. And these auctions really continue to widen the gap between what we think of as academic and commercial paleontology.

Mambo: I have read that some people also donate and own replicas without having the exact fossil. Can you tell us a little more about this? Is this a viable solution?

Woodruff: I think replicas are the best possible solution. I mean, how many of us have a copy of a painting at home or something like that? You know The real dinosaurs that you can see in a museum? And if a wealthy person is determined to buy this dinosaur that’s up for auction, and they’re determined to get this specimen and see it succeed scientifically, and they want to donate it, in this example, to a museum, we’ll have a cast that we’ll display in your living room. Then you can literally put it on display and brag to all your friends and say, “Go to the museum and see the real thing, and I got to display it in that museum.”

The skull of the stegosaurus specimen is on display at Sotheby’s.

Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

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Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

NPR reached out to Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s senior vice president and global head of science and pop culture, to address criticism of the fossil auctions.

“The loss of scientifically significant fossils to private collections is a concern that is often raised, but in our experience we have not yet seen this phenomenon materialise,” Hatton said. “We find that the vast majority of customers are purchasing specimens for museums or donating them.”