A Tyrannosaurus skull, unearthed in South Dakota and nicknamed “Maximus,” sold for $6.1 million at Sotheby’s Friday, a significant shortfall from its $15-20 million estimate.
The disappointment for Sotheby’s could indicate a broader cooling of the market for fossil specimens.
“It’s all based on confidence, and right now, there’s very low confidence in that arena,” art adviser Todd Levin told the New York Times.
In late November, Christie’s withdrew a Tyrannosaurus rex specimen nicknamed “Shen” after it was revealed parts of the piece were cast replicas of pieces from “Stan”, which is slated to be displayed at a natural history museum in Dubai.