Sotheby's to Auction Rare Nanotyrannus Fossil 'Jodi' for Up to $9 Million
This month, Sotheby's is set to auction a Nanotyrannus fossil named "Jodi," with an estimated value between $6 million and $9 million. Unearthed in 2019 by rancher Jodi Pierson in Garfield County, Montana, "Jodi" is among only three known specimens and is the most intact. The excavation was carried out by paleontologist Clayton Phipps, as featured on the Discovery Channel's Dino Hunters. Standing at 6.5 feet tall and measuring 19.6 feet in length, "Jodi" boasts a nearly complete skull containing 53 bones and 35 teeth. Last fall, paleontologists Lindsay Zanno and James Napoli confirmed it as a distinct genus. The auction is scheduled for October 27 in New York.
Key facts
- Sotheby's is auctioning a Nanotyrannus fossil named "Jodi" with an estimate of $6 million to $9 million
- "Jodi" is one of only three known Nanotyrannus fossils and the most complete discovered
- Rancher Jodi Pierson discovered the fossil in 2019 on her land in Garfield County, Montana, within the Hell Creek Formation
- Paleontologist Clayton Phipps excavated the fossil, a process shown on the Discovery Channel series Dino Hunters
- The specimen stands 6.5 feet tall, spans 19.6 feet, and has a nearly complete skull with 53 bones and 35 teeth
- Nanotyrannus lived about 67 million years ago during the Cretaceous period alongside Tyrannosaurus rex
- Paleontologists Lindsay Zanno and James Napoli confirmed last fall that Nanotyrannus is its own genus
- The live sale takes place on October 27 in New York
Entities
Artists
- Jodi Pierson
- Clayton Phipps
- Lindsay Zanno
- James Napoli
- Cassandra Hatton
- Ken Griffin
- Nicole Hoey
Institutions
- Sotheby's
- Discovery Channel
- Dino Hunters
- Robb Report
- Boston University
- Boston Globe
- Galerie Magazine
Locations
- Garfield County
- Montana
- United States
- Hell Creek Formation
- New York
- Breuer