Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton expected to fetch up to $25m at auction

A Tyrannosaurus rex fossil will go to auction at Christie's in Hong Kong in November, where it's expected to sell for as much as $25 million.

The sale on Nov. 30 of the dinosaur fossil, which is around 66-68 million years old and would have lived during the cretaceous period, will mark the first time a T. Rex skeleton is offered at an auction in Asia, Christie's said in a statement Thursday.

Shen, meaning god-like in Chinese, weighs in at 1,400 kilograms and is being offered in the region of $15 million to $25 million, the statement said. The 43 feet long and 16 feet tall giant was unearthed in Montana. Back in 2020, a record hammer price of $32 million was paid for T. Rex Stan at Christie's New York.

The winning bidder will gain full ownership rights and all soft assets relating to Shen, including the permission to rename the skeleton. The owner also has commercial rights to lease the dinosaur.

"There's a high chance that it will be used for display in public institutions," said James Hyslop, Christie's head of science and natural history. Shen was previously studied by leading palaeontologists.