World's most expensive dinosaur fossil goes on display at New York
December 10, 2024 4:13 AM Subscribe
The most expensive dinosaur fossil ever discovered will be on display in New York at the American Museum of Natural History. The giant stegosaurus fossil, dubbed "Apex", is 3.3 metres tall and 8.2 metres nose to tail and is one of the most complete fossils of this type of dinosaur in existence.
I was curious about the 'most expensive' bit.
Seems it was sold by a commercial palaeontologist. (Who knew?)
"Jason Cooper discovered Apex on his land near Dinosaur, Colorado"
posted by MtDewd at 6:17 AM on December 10, 2024
Seems it was sold by a commercial palaeontologist. (Who knew?)
"Jason Cooper discovered Apex on his land near Dinosaur, Colorado"
posted by MtDewd at 6:17 AM on December 10, 2024
Why the fuck can billionaires buy/own dinosaur fossils?????
Anyone can buy a fossil of something or another. It’s just a matter of scale. I have a trilobite. That dude has a steg. I suspect he shelled-out a butt-ton more money getting his fossil than I did getting mine.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:46 AM on December 10, 2024 [3 favorites]
Anyone can buy a fossil of something or another. It’s just a matter of scale. I have a trilobite. That dude has a steg. I suspect he shelled-out a butt-ton more money getting his fossil than I did getting mine.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:46 AM on December 10, 2024 [3 favorites]
Billionaire hedge fund manager and longtime museum donor Ken Griffin bought the skeleton at an auction in July for $45 million (about $70 million), the most ever paid for dinosaur remains.
A butt-ton, yes, or as a billionaire might put it, "sacrificed a modest yacht."
My kid was/is big into dinosaurs, so I took him to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History this year thinking he'd be in heaven seeing the actual fossils with his own eyes. Not really, surprisingly. He actually loved these little dioramas they had setup around the dinos more. He wants to be a paleontologist, too, which makes it even funnier. Seeing the fossils in real life, though, provide that wonderful sense of scale that aids the imagination. A tv show can do it, but seeing is believing.
From what I understand, a lot of scientists don't like the for profit paleontologists because it can take discoveries out of the academic/research reach. I.e., something amazing and groundbreaking could be discovered, but then end up in the hands of a private collector, er, billionaire, James Bond villain, and researchers would never have access to that amazing thing. Granted, you can get a lot wealthier digging up bones and selling them to people than working at a university.
posted by Atreides at 7:12 AM on December 10, 2024 [2 favorites]
A butt-ton, yes, or as a billionaire might put it, "sacrificed a modest yacht."
My kid was/is big into dinosaurs, so I took him to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History this year thinking he'd be in heaven seeing the actual fossils with his own eyes. Not really, surprisingly. He actually loved these little dioramas they had setup around the dinos more. He wants to be a paleontologist, too, which makes it even funnier. Seeing the fossils in real life, though, provide that wonderful sense of scale that aids the imagination. A tv show can do it, but seeing is believing.
From what I understand, a lot of scientists don't like the for profit paleontologists because it can take discoveries out of the academic/research reach. I.e., something amazing and groundbreaking could be discovered, but then end up in the hands of a private collector, er, billionaire, James Bond villain, and researchers would never have access to that amazing thing. Granted, you can get a lot wealthier digging up bones and selling them to people than working at a university.
posted by Atreides at 7:12 AM on December 10, 2024 [2 favorites]
At one end of the interior design market, spectacular fossils are just another form of accent piece.
posted by aramaic at 7:15 AM on December 10, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by aramaic at 7:15 AM on December 10, 2024 [3 favorites]
“IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!”
-indiana jones
and yes i’m aware it’s currently in a museum. :)
posted by rude.boy at 7:53 AM on December 10, 2024 [1 favorite]
-indiana jones
and yes i’m aware it’s currently in a museum. :)
posted by rude.boy at 7:53 AM on December 10, 2024 [1 favorite]
At one end of the interior design market, spectacular fossils are just another form of accent piece
I've had this Rhamphorhynchus fossil in an open tab on my browser for months. Just to dream.
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 8:14 AM on December 10, 2024 [2 favorites]
I've had this Rhamphorhynchus fossil in an open tab on my browser for months. Just to dream.
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 8:14 AM on December 10, 2024 [2 favorites]
> I've had this Rhamphorhynchus fossil in an open tab on my browser for months. Just to dream.
"Inquire For Price" === "if you have to ask, you can't afford it"
I was recently at a rock show where I saw examples of the other end of the market, cracked nodules that have trilobite impressions in them, starting around $8 apiece.
"Why billionaires can own fossils" is because, nobody ever made it illegal for them to. In fact doing that would be a pretty heavy lift under US law. It's a continuum, from limestone driveway gravel that has bits of brachiopod impressions in it to complete skeletons of Jurassic dinosaurs. Who would draw the line, and where, and how? These are not trivial questions.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 8:23 AM on December 10, 2024 [5 favorites]
"Inquire For Price" === "if you have to ask, you can't afford it"
I was recently at a rock show where I saw examples of the other end of the market, cracked nodules that have trilobite impressions in them, starting around $8 apiece.
"Why billionaires can own fossils" is because, nobody ever made it illegal for them to. In fact doing that would be a pretty heavy lift under US law. It's a continuum, from limestone driveway gravel that has bits of brachiopod impressions in it to complete skeletons of Jurassic dinosaurs. Who would draw the line, and where, and how? These are not trivial questions.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 8:23 AM on December 10, 2024 [5 favorites]
Short of making the place illegal to dig/excavate/mine, I'm not sure if it's illegal in the US to take anything out of the ground outside of human remains and even then.....
posted by Atreides at 10:42 AM on December 10, 2024
posted by Atreides at 10:42 AM on December 10, 2024
My sister texted me all like "The Natural History museum just got a new stegosaurus!" and I was like, "Look I don't know who they got it from but it's gotta be a refurbished stegosaurus, at least."
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 11:25 AM on December 10, 2024 [8 favorites]
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 11:25 AM on December 10, 2024 [8 favorites]
There's a rock shop near me that had some very beautiful fish fossils... multiple fish on a plaque of gray stone... for like $700. I was considering buying it but it slipped my mind. Now I might have to go back and see if they still have anything like that in stock.
posted by SoberHighland at 11:51 AM on December 10, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by SoberHighland at 11:51 AM on December 10, 2024 [1 favorite]
At one end of the interior design market, spectacular fossils are just another form of accent piece.
They even have a pretty lady displaying the merch.
posted by waving at 11:24 PM on December 10, 2024 [1 favorite]
They even have a pretty lady displaying the merch.
posted by waving at 11:24 PM on December 10, 2024 [1 favorite]
There are restrictions on collecting fossils, minerals, even metal detecting.
There are different rules for private land, state land and federal lands.
Even differences between BLM and Forest service lands
Can I Collect Fossils?
That's why he makes a point of saying the fossil was found on his land.
it is illegal to dig, remove, collect, or make molds or casts of vertebrate fossils such as dinosaurs, mammals, fish, and reptiles without a research permit. This regulation also applies to fossil trackways and uncommon invertebrate and plant fossils. Fossils collected by permitted researchers remain public property and are placed with museums, universities, or other public institutions for study and exhibition.
posted by yyz at 7:01 AM on December 11, 2024
There are different rules for private land, state land and federal lands.
Even differences between BLM and Forest service lands
Can I Collect Fossils?
That's why he makes a point of saying the fossil was found on his land.
it is illegal to dig, remove, collect, or make molds or casts of vertebrate fossils such as dinosaurs, mammals, fish, and reptiles without a research permit. This regulation also applies to fossil trackways and uncommon invertebrate and plant fossils. Fossils collected by permitted researchers remain public property and are placed with museums, universities, or other public institutions for study and exhibition.
posted by yyz at 7:01 AM on December 11, 2024
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