Now we know who bought it.
Billionaire investor Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of hedge fund Citadel, has broken auction records by purchasing a dinosaur skeleton for $44.6 million. The purchase, made at Sotheby’s on Wednesday, marks the highest price ever paid for a fossil at auction.
The skeleton, named “Apex,” is a 150-million-year-old stegosaurus. It was discovered near Dinosaur, Colorado, in May 2022 by paleontologist Jason Cooper. Standing at 11 feet tall and 27 feet long, Apex is the largest and most complete stegosaurus ever found, with 254 out of an estimated 319 bones preserved.
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Billionaire investor Ken Griffin paid $44.6 million for a nearly complete Stegosaurus skeleton nicknamed “Apex” at a @Sothebys ‘s auction, shattering previous fossil auction records. This… pic.twitter.com/jucBkI6E62
— Jack Kelly (@jackjaykelly) July 18, 2024
Griffin outbid six other participants in a 15-minute auction to secure the skeleton. Initially expected to sell for around $6 million, the final price of $44.6 million was 11 times the lower estimate, setting a new record for dinosaur fossils.
“Apex lived up to its name today, inspiring bidders globally to become the most valuable fossil ever sold at auction,” said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s global head of science and popular culture. She highlighted the close collaboration with Jason Cooper from the discovery of Apex to its sale in New York.
This is what be pissing me off!! Big corporations do massive pay cuts and layoffs to reward stock owners. Then the owner rather spend 45mil on a Dinosaur. Citadel CEO Ken Griffin paid nearly $45M for a dinosaur skeleton at auction | Fox Business https://t.co/ydMaZQYoZz
— Will O Flores (@WillF213) July 20, 2024
Griffin, whose net worth is approximately $37.8 billion according to Forbes, is known for his regular donations to the Republican Party. Instead of keeping the skeleton for his private collection, he plans to loan it to institutions across the United States. “Apex was born in America and is going to stay in America!” he said following the sale.
In 2017, Griffin donated $16.5 million to Chicago’s Field Museum to fund an exhibit featuring the largest tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever discovered.
Key Points:
- Ken Griffin purchased a stegosaurus skeleton for $44.6 million, setting an auction record for fossils.
- The skeleton, named “Apex,” is the largest and most intact stegosaurus ever found.
- Discovered in Colorado in 2022, Apex is 11 feet tall and 27 feet long with 254 preserved bones.
- Griffin outbid six participants in a 15-minute auction, with the final price 11 times the lower estimate.
- Griffin plans to loan the skeleton to U.S. institutions instead of keeping it privately.
Kirk Volo – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
