Duelling dinosaurs fail to sell

A pair of duelling dinosaurs which have the potential to answer a long-standing scientific question went under the hammer at Bonham’s Auction House earlier this month, and I’m pleased to say they didn’t sell.

The combative couple – a Triceratops and a tyrannosaur – have the potential to confirm whether a second large predator lived alongside the Tyrannosaurus rex. The Nanotyrannus was first postulated in 1988, but has yet to be confirmed as a distinct species due to a lack of supporting evidence. This fossil – which features large forearms, a long swan-like neck and a narrow skull – could sanction Nanotyrannus’ existence, but only if it was subjected scientific scrutiny.

I say ‘pleased’ they didn’t sell, because while it would have been great to see the fossil purchased and housed permanently in a museum (preferably in the UK), the danger of putting such a find up for sale is that it could have reached the hands of a private collector which may have removed it from the gaze of science.

Researchers – including Phil Manning from the University of Manchester, who has been lucky enough to study the fossil – objected to the sale on scientific grounds, arguing that the true importance, identity and cause of death can’t be known until the duelling pair is removed from its sandstone casing, and subjected to peer review.

Manning was at the auction on 19th November and wrote the following on his blog, Dinosaur CSI:

“Within seconds the initial bid had gone from 5 to 5.5 million dollars...two people were bidding from the audience. Everyone was straining to see who had placed the bids, but no sooner had they been placed....silence. The auctioneer scanned the room, searching for a higher bid...and none came forth.”

Pre-sale estimates predicted the skeletons would fetch between $7m and $9m, but the pair failed to even meet the reserve set. Sue – an 85% complete T. rex skeleton – was sold in 1997 for $8.3m; she supposedly set precedent for this sale, but the highest bid was a mere $5.5m – was the price set too high? Were the fossils just not worth that much money?

In comparison to Sue, the price was perhaps considered reasonable, but I think the huge sum of money this pair was expected to fetch was too high in the current financial market. It’s not necessarily that the duelling pair weren’t worth the money, but institutions and museums just don’t have that kind of money to hand, and it seems private investors don’t either.

“Behind the scenes, before the sale today, I’ve had museums mention that they have had difficulty coming up with funds this quickly, but should the lot not sell – which of course occurred – they want us to be in negotiations immediately,” Thomas Lindgren, co-consulting director the natural history department at Bonham’s said at a post-auction press conference.

Lindgren had hoped to steer the sale towards institutions or donors who would publically house the fossils – he was keen to ensure that they didn’t disappear into obscurity.

“The story isn’t over,” he added. “I’m very confident we’re going to find a scientific home for these dinosaurs.”