Culture News
A mini T. rex sells for $47.3m: record price, mystery buyer, and the museum question
A rare Nanotyrannus skeleton nicknamed "Jodi" has sold for $47.3 million at Sotheby's in New York to an anonymous buyer, after about 12 minutes of bidding between six bidders, NBC New York and Canada's CTV News report. Sotheby's had expected $6–9 million. NBC says it is the second most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold, behind the T. rex "Gus", which fetched $50.1 million this summer.
The skeleton, about 67 million years old, was found in 2019 by Montana rancher Jodi Pierson on her land. It is about 70% complete, and only three Nanotyrannus skeletons are known. NBC notes that research published last year concluded Nanotyrannus is a distinct genus, not just a young T. rex.
BBC News led on the controversy: the sale, it said, reignites debate over whether dinosaur remains should end up in private hands or on public view. Euronews quoted scientists' argument that such fossils
“should be displayed in museums or other institutions so they can be studied by researchers and viewed by the public.” — scientists, via Euronews
How each outlet framed it
- BBC News — the scientific debate over private ownership.
- NBC New York — the record, the rancher who found it, and the new science on the species.
- CTV News — the price and the bidding, with no expert comment.
- Euronews — the sale in euros and the case for museums.
Where the numbers differ: Euronews gives the price as €42.6 million and a pre-sale estimate of €4–7 million; NBC gives an estimate of $6–9 million. No outlet named the buyer or said whether the skeleton will go on display.