Entire T-rex skeleton to be auctioned off in Europe for first time ever - expected to fetch over £4million

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Despite being the first time one has been up for auction in Europe, this is the third time in history an entire T-rex skeleton has been up for auction, with one auctioned in 1997 and the second in 2020

An entire Tyrannosaurus rex (T-rex) skeleton is set to be auctioned off in Europe for the very first time. Named TRX-293 Trinity, the dinosaur, which is around 67 million years old, is expected to fetch anywhere between £4.5m to £7.2m.

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Zurich-based Koller Auctions say that this is only the third time that a T-rex skeleton will be auctioned off in its entirety, adding that the state of the skeleton to go under the hammer is of ‘exceptional quality’.

It’s been dubbed ‘one of the most spectacular T-rex skeletons in existence’ and boasts a length of 11.6 metres which equates to 38ft and a height of 3.9 metres, or 12.8ft. Koller says the dinosaur has been mounted in a "dynamic and scientifically accurate" pose.

More than half of the skeleton’s original bone material comes from three Tyrannosaurus specimens excavated between 2008 and 2013, from the Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations in Montana and Wyoming.

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Scientific advisor Nils Knötschke, one of the world’s leading fossil preparators, says: "Dinosaur skulls are very rare; they are among the most valuable components of fossil skeletons.

"In fact, most dinosaurs are found without their skulls. But here we have original Tyrannosaurus skull bones, all from the same specimen. In all three specimens, the preparation was done very well, and the whole is very well preserved.

"I was particularly surprised that not only the vertebrae, but also the filigree spines of the dorsal and cervical vertebrae are present. The very fine bones from inside the skull are usually lost, and these are also preserved in Trinity.”

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Dr Hans-Jakob Siber, palaeontologist and director of the Dinosaur Museum in Aathal, Switzerland, adds: "I was impressed when I saw it, because it all seems to fit together so nicely. It’s one of the most impressive mounts I’ve seen.

Koller Auctions / SWNS

"The quality of the restoration plus the quality of the mount sort of breathes life again into the specimen, which lived millions and millions of years ago. TRX-293 TRINITY would certainly be an astonishing attraction in any museum in the world."

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