Gorgosaurus Skeleton Leads Sotheby's Natural History Auction

A Gorgosaurus skeleton sold for over $6 million at Sotheby's New York on July 28, 2022, as the highlight of the Natural History, including Gorgosaurus auction. The session achieved a total of $7,634,168, reflecting growing market interest in prehistoric and natural artifacts. Other lots included Tyrannosaurus Rex teeth, Allosaurus claws, and a Triceratops skull, all selling well above estimates. Fossils, quartz, and Gogottes—rare sandstone concretions resembling Louise Bourgeois sculptures—were also offered. Gorgosaurus, meaning 'terrible lizard,' was a bipedal carnivore that lived about 76 million years ago in western North America. Discovered in Montana in 2018, it was the first of its kind at auction. A T-Rex tooth sold for $75,600, fourteen times its low estimate, and the Triceratops skull exceeded $650,000, more than double its low estimate. The sale signals a growing demand for earth history artifacts.