The skeleton was provided by a 'private individual', and had been flown in nine large crates to Switzerland, for reassembly, Link said.Īuction sales of dinosaur skeletons and other fossils have raked in tens of millions of dollars in recent years, but experts have warned the trade could be harmful to science by putting the specimens in private hands and out of the reach of researchers. Trinity's skull meanwhile is 'incredibly well-preserved' and comes from a single T-Rex specimen, according to Koller. Just over half of the bone material in the skeleton comes from the three Tyrannosaurus specimens, he said. Link said Koller was intent on being open and transparent about the origins of the bones that make up Trinity. Last year, Christie's withdrew another T-Rex skeleton-also excavated from Montana-days before it went to auction in Hong Kong, after doubts were reportedly raised about parts of the skeleton. The two sites are known for the discoveries of two other significant T-Rex skeletons that have gone to auction: Sue went under the hammer in 1997 for $8.4 million, and Stan, which took the world-record hammer price of $31.8 million at Christie's, in 2020. They were excavated between 20 from the Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations in Montana and Wyoming in the United States, the auction catalog said.

The Trinity skeleton is made up of bone material from three T-Rex specimens. Koller pointed to a 2021 study in the scientific journal Nature indicating that only 32 skeletons of adult T-Rex's-one of the largest terrestrial predators ever to walk the Earth-had been found worldwide. The sale would mark 'the first time in Europe and only the third time worldwide (that) a skeleton of an entire T-Rex dinosaur of exceptional quality will be offered at auction'. Trinity is 'one of the most spectacular T-Rex skeletons in existence, a well-preserved and brilliantly restored fossil,' the auction house said. Towering 3.9 meters (12.8 feet) in the air, Trinity has been valued at between six to eight million Swiss francs ($6.5-8.7 million), according to the auction catalog.īut Christian Link, in charge of natural history memorabilia at Koller, told AFP he believed that was a 'very low estimate'. He also took issue with auctions of significant dinosaur skeletons and other fossils, which have raked in tens of millions of dollars in recent years.Įxperts have warned such trade could be harmful to science by putting the specimens in private hands and out of the reach of researchers.The skeleton dubbed Trinity will go under the hammer in Zurich on April 18, the Koller auction house said. Vertebrate palaeontologist Thomas Holtz – who is against the sale of such specimens Holtz – was sceptical, insisting that Trinity “really isn’t a ‘specimen’ so much as it is an art installation”. Just over half of the bone material in the skeleton comes from the three Tyrannosaurus specimens – above the 50% level needed for experts to consider such a skeleton as high quality. “Sue” went under the hammer in 1997 for $8.4m, before “Stan” took the world-record hammer price of $31.8m at Christie’s in 2020. The sites are known for the discoveries of two other significant T-Rex skeletons that have gone to auction. More than half the skeleton’s bones are original with the rest made from plaster and epoxy resin casts.Īs its name suggests, Trinity is made up of a composite skeleton of 293 bones from three dinosaurs – excavated between 20 from the Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations in Montana and Wyoming. The skeleton measures 3.9 metres high, 11.6 metres long and 2.65 metres wide.

“I’m 100% sure we will see Trinity in the future somewhere again,” he said. Koller voiced optimism that although the skeleton had been sold to a private buyer, it would remain on public display. And so more than 30,000 visitors came and admired Trinity a lot of children,” he told AFP. “It was a wonderful auction because we showed Trinity for two-and-a-half weeks in the concert hall in Zurich.

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