Rare and complete skeleton of an Allosaurus
By Kelle Profita
A rare skeleton of an Allosaurus will be offered at a Sotheby’s auction October 5th, 2010. The dinosaur is part of the auction house’s participation in Paris’ Nuit Blanche on October 2nd, 2010. The Nuit Blanche is an annual all-night arts festival.
Sotheby’s prior natural history auctions have included the sale of Sue, a complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, now on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. The 1997 auction set a record of $8.4 million and has yet to be surpassed by any other natural history offerings at auction.
The rare Allosaurus skeleton was discovered in Wyoming. It measures 33-feet long and the remains are 70 percent complete. The dimensions suggest it was a female and is estimated to sell for $1 million.
But it is not the only dinosaur up for auction, or the only natural wonder.
The complete skeleton of a Plesiosaurus, one of the few remaining in private ownership, is also up for sale. The Plesiosaurus, an aquatic dinosaur, was found in a limestone outcropping in Gloucestershire in the 1990s. Estimates have the skeleton pegged at going for about $500,000.
“Whether you look at them as artistic masterpieces or wonders of nature, dinosaur skeletons, fossils and minerals retrace the saga of evolution – especially that of mighty terrestrial and marine mammals who are now extinct (only whales remain, and they are under threat),” noted Eric Mickeler, the sale’s consultant. “Interest in these prehistoric remains has undergone a striking resurgence in France over the last few years, and offers a new approach to our paleontological heritage.”
Also, the auction features a pair of prehistoric crabs from the Vicenza region of Italy, expected to fetch $20,000. Vicenza was home to intense volcanic activity, which petrified the crabs in a rare and complex process.
A broad selection of minerals are offered as well. Most notably, a very rare citrine with smoky quartz, dubbed the Magic Flower, from Goiabeira, Brazil. This stone is considered to be the most spectacular ever found. It could fetch around $450,000.
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