Triceratops 'Trey' Set for Auction as Dinosaur Fossil Market Reaches Record Highs
A remarkable triceratops skeleton, known affectionately as 'Trey,' which captivated visitors at a Wyoming museum for nearly three decades, is poised to go under the hammer in a rare auction event. This sale underscores the surging market for prehistoric fossils, which has recently seen prices skyrocket to unprecedented levels.
From Museum Display to Auction Block
The fossil, dating back over 66 million years to the late Cretaceous period, was discovered in 1993 near Lusk, Wyoming, by Lee Campbell and the late commercial paleontologist Allen Graffham. Graffham was renowned for his numerous significant finds throughout his career. Measuring an impressive 17 feet in length, Trey is a herbivorous dinosaur that became a centerpiece at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis from its grand opening in 1995 until 2023, where it was displayed on loan.
Recently sold in a private transaction, Trey is now located in Singapore, where it is available for private viewings through the end of March. The auction will be hosted on Joopiter, an online platform founded by Grammy-winning artist and producer Pharrell Williams, with bidding open from March 17 to 31. The pre-auction estimate for this iconic fossil ranges from $4.5 million to $5.5 million.
Cultural Significance and Investment Appeal
Paleontologist Andre LuJan, who collaborated with Joopiter to prepare Trey for auction, emphasized the fossil's unique cultural resonance. 'Trey has this cultural aspect that a lot of fossils that go to auction these days just simply don't have,' LuJan stated. 'This one is connected to people and undoubtedly has inspired young children who've seen it to pursue a career in paleontology.'
Once primarily the domain of museums and universities, dinosaur fossils have increasingly become sought-after investments. In 2024, the stegosaurus skeleton 'Apex' sold for a staggering $44.6 million at auction, shattering the previous record of $31.8 million paid in 2020 for 'Stan,' a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Further evidence of the robust market came in July, when a rare young dinosaur skeleton exceeded its $4-6 million estimate at Sotheby's, ultimately fetching over $30 million.
Caitlin Donovan, Joopiter's global head of sales, noted that this surging interest reflects a broader shift away from traditional investment categories like old master paintings toward objects with deep cultural significance. '(Dinosaurs) have always captivated our imagination ... and people are now starting to see the value in investing in these as assets,' LuJan added.
Concerns Over Scientific Access
However, the booming fossil market has raised concerns among some paleontologists. They worry that important specimens could vanish into private collections, potentially depriving scientists of crucial research opportunities. Kristi Curry Rogers, a paleontologist at Macalester College in Minnesota, expressed alarm, stating that public museums are 'getting totally priced out of an exploding market.'
'If a fossil goes into a private collection without guaranteed access forever, that data is essentially lost to science,' Curry Rogers warned, though she is not involved in Trey's sale. LuJan highlighted that Trey has always been privately owned, and he hopes it will ultimately find a home in a museum, similar to Apex, which is now on display at New York's American Museum of Natural History under a long-term loan agreement that permits scientific study.
'Because we've had this paradigm shift in what owning dinosaurs means to society, people are naturally gravitating toward these benevolent situations where they loan them long-term to museums or they end up donating them to a new museum that's just being born,' LuJan explained, expressing optimism for Trey's future.
