A 161-million-year-old Stegosaurus is expected to sell at Sotheby’s for between $4 and $6 million

(10 Jul 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York - 10 July 2024
1. Wide, Stegosaurus on display at Sotheby's New York
2. Close, head of the Stegosaurus
3. Medium, Stegosaurus
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s, Global Head Science and Popular culture:
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“This is a Jurassic period dinosaur. So about 161 million years old. It's an incredible find. And in terms of size, I don't know exactly how much it weighs. Probably 2,000 pounds or so. It's 20 feet long on the stand. If you're measuring from nose to tail, it's approximately 27 feet long.”
5. Pan from the tip of the tail to the head of the Stegosaurus
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s, Global Head Science and Popular culture:
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“In terms of Stegosaurus, this is an incredibly rare animal. There are only eight or nine known in the world.”
7. Close, profile of the head Stegosaurus
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s, Global Head Science and Popular culture:
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED BY VIDEO++
“It's about 79% complete, and that is based on how much of it is actually fossil bone. How much of the bones were actually found."
9. Wide, Stegosaurus display
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s, Global Head Science and Popular culture:
++SOUNDBITE COVERED BY VIDEO++
“It's one of the coloring book dinosaurs, right? When you're a kid, you get a coloring book with dinosaurs, you've got T-Rex, you've got Triceratops, you've got Stegosaurus. It's one of the top three most recognized and most popular dinosaurs of all time.”
11. Profile from behind of the head and neck of the Stegosaurus
12. Close, tail of the Stegosaurus
13. Close, pelvis and head of the Stegosaurus
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s, Global Head Science and Popular culture:
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“The estimate on this is $4 to $6 million. Now, a Stegosaurus of this caliber has never sold at auction before. So we will find out what it is actually worth.”
15. Medium, side view of the Stegosaurus
16. Close, Profile of the head of the Stegosaurus
STORYLINE:
The bones of a nearly complete 161-million-year-old dinosaur are on display at Sotheby’s in New York as part of their annual Geek Week sale series.
'Apex,' billed as the most complete Stegosaurus ever discovered measures 11 feet tall and approximately 27 feet long from the tip of its tail to its nose, according to Cassandra Hatton, the Global Head of Science and Popular culture at Sotheby’s.
“In terms of Stegosaurus, this is an incredibly rare animal. There are only eight or nine known in the world,” Hatton told the Associated Press during a preview visit.
Sotheby's collaborated closely with the owner to document the entire process, from discovery and excavation to restoration, preparation, and mounting.
“It's about 79% complete,” Hatton said. “That is based on how much of it is actually fossil bone. How much of the bones were actually found?”
The Stegosaurus is the best-known member of the armored dinosaurs called Thyreophorans, characterized by the distinctive shape and arrangement of dermal armor on its back, extending from the neck to the tail.
Hatton called the Stegosaurus “a coloring book dinosaur.“
“It's one of the top three most recognized and most popular dinosaurs of all time,” according to Hatton.
“Apex” was discovered in May 2022 in the Morrison Formation, located in Moffat County, Colorado, near the town of Dinosaur. The excavation was completed in October 2023.
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[@megadayve]

fyi it's priceless