Nanotyrannus Skeleton Jodi Sold for $47.3 Million at Sotheby's New York Auction
What happened
A rare Nanotyrannus skeleton named "Jodi" fetched $47,255,000 at Sotheby's New York after a 12-minute, six-bidder contest, becoming the second-most expensive fossil ever sold at auction.
The Context
* Rare scientific profile: Excavated from Montana’s Hell Creek Formation with 191 preserved bone elements and an intact skull, Jodi is one of only three known substantial Nanotyrannus skeletons. * Valuation breakout: Sotheby's initially targeted $6 million to $9 million, but aggressive bidding propelled the final hammer to $40.5 million, reaching $47.255 million with buyer's fees. * Market consolidation: The transaction secures Sotheby's custody of the top three commercial dinosaur fossil sales worldwide, trailing only the $50.1 million Tyrannosaurus rex "Gus."
The Number
—the realized price outpaced the high estimate by more than five times, demonstrating substantial capital concentration among private collectors competing outside public institutional budgets.
Takeaway
Expect secondary-market sourcing for museum-grade specimens to intensify as private capital continues to outbid traditional public research institutions for rare natural assets.
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Rare Nanotyrannus skeleton sells for $47.3m at New York auction
A rare Nanotyrannus skeleton, a smaller relative of Tyrannosaurus rex, sold at Sotheby's in New York on Tuesday for $47.3m after a twelve-minute bidding battle among six bidders bidding online and by phone. The mounted specimen, named "Jodi" after th...
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Rare Nanotyrannus skeleton sells for $47.3m at New York auction
A rare Nanotyrannus skeleton, a smaller relative of Tyrannosaurus rex, sold at Sotheby's in New York on Tuesday for $47.3m after a twelve-minute bidding battle among six bidders bidding online and by phone. The mounted specimen, named "Jodi" after th...
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Rare Nanotyrannus skeleton sells for $47.3m at New York auction
A rare Nanotyrannus skeleton, a smaller relative of Tyrannosaurus rex, sold at Sotheby's in New York on Tuesday for $47.3m after a twelve-minute bidding battle among six bidders bidding online and by phone. The mounted specimen, named "Jodi" after th...
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Nanotyrannus Skeleton ‘Jodi’ Is Auctioned for $47.3 Million
A skeleton of the Nanotyrannus dinosaur, nicknamed 'Jodi,' was auctioned at Sotheby's for $47.3 million. Nanotyrannus is a cousin of T. rex, and scientists long debated whether it was a separate Tyrannosaur group or teenage specimens of T. rex.
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Nanotyrannus skeleton sells for $47.3m in New York auction
A rare Nanotyrannus skeleton was sold at auction in New York for $47.3 million, according to BBC News. The sale drew attention to the specimen, which was offered on the open market rather than remaining in an institutional collection.
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Nanotyrannus skeleton sells for $47.3m in New York auction
A rare Nanotyrannus skeleton was sold at auction in New York for $47.3 million, according to BBC News. The sale drew attention to the specimen, which was offered on the open market rather than remaining in an institutional collection.