In 2024, Sotheby’s New York auctioned the nearly 70%-complete Nanotyrannus skeleton “Jodi” for $47.3 million, a price that eclipses its $9 million estimate.
The fossil, uncovered in 2019 by Montana rancher Jodi Pierson on her Hell Creek property, was excavated by commercial palaeontologist Clayton Phipps.
Nanotyrannus, once thought a juvenile T. rex, is now recognized as a distinct genus, with only three nearly complete skeletons known worldwide.
Six bidders fought over the specimen in a 12‑minute, online‑and‑phone event, and the winning buyer chose to remain anonymous.
The record price fuels a debate over private ownership of scientifically significant fossils, with scientists warning that such sales could push valuable specimens out of public view.