Vulcain, the dinosaur of all records, will be sold in Yvelines

See my news
Follow 78actu

It has already been four months since Vulcain has been admired by visitors to the Dampierre-en-Yvelines estate. This skeleton of an apatosaurus (formerly called brontosaurus), dating back almost 150 million yearsswas discovered in the United States in 2018 after three years of excavation.

It will leave Yvelines at the end of its auction, scheduled for Saturday November 16, 2024, which should break records given the dimensions of the specimen. The skeleton of thegiant herbivore is 20.5 meters long and 5 meters high. Never before has such a large dinosaur been put up for auction in the world! It was estimated between €3 and €5 million.

Remarkable in more than one way

The apatosaurus in question is remarkable in more than one way. Added to its incredible size is its near completeness and its excellent level of preservation. Paleontology expert Éric Mickeler, former consultant for Sotheby’s and Christie’s currently curator of the dinosaur museum in Prague (Czech Republic), will not say the opposite.

“In the world, there are only thirteen apatosaur fossils that have been found. Vulcan has the particularity of being excessively complete, since 80 to 85% of its skeleton, or more than 306 fossilized bones, have been found and its skull more than 50%! Since the bones of the skull are very thin, they generally do not fossilize or have been carried away by scavengers. »

Record to beat: $44.6 million

Sales of Vulcain could well soar as the success of these prehistoric monsters has only grown in recent years. In 1997, Sue, a T-Rexhad already gone for the sum of 8.4 million dollars (M$). In 2020, another tyrannosaur, named Stan and 11 m high, was purchased for $31.8 million by the Abu Dhabi Museum. It was only listed at €6 million.

The world’s most expensive dinosaur is now a stégosaure Apex. Estimated between $4 and $6 million before its sale on July 17, 2024 at Sotheby’s in New York, it was acquired at the price of 44,6 M$.

The presentation of Vulcain at the Dampierre estate continues until Friday November 15, 2024. Visible from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (last ticket sale one hour before closing). Entrance: €10/adult (free for under 18s accompanied by an adult). Information and reservation: www.domaine-dampierre.com.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.