T. Rex Skeleton Sells for More Than $5M at Zurich Auction

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Nearly 300 Tyrannosaurus rex bones that were dug up from three sites in the United States and assembled into a single skeleton have sold at auction for 4.8 million francs ($5.3 million) in Switzerland.

Crafted into an open-mouth pose, the T. rex, named “Trinity” and measuring 11.6 meters long (38 feet long) and 3.9 meters high (12.8 feet) high, came in below the anticipated range of 5 million to 8 million francs on Tuesday in Zurich.

Promoters said the composite T. rex, dubbed “Trinity,” was built from specimens retrieved from three sites in the Hell Creek and Lance Creek formations of Montana and Wyoming between 2008 and 2013.

The composite skeleton was a showpiece of an auction that featured some 70 lots, and the skull was set up next to the auctioneer’s podium at the Koller auction house.