On 16 July 2025, at Sotheby’s in New York, the skeleton of a juvenile Ceratosaurus sold after six minutes of bidding for $30.5 million including fees — against an estimate of about 6 million. The skeleton was found in 1996 at the Bone Cabin Quarry in Wyoming; it is about 150 million years old.
Why so expensive
It is the only known skeleton of a juvenile Ceratosaurus and one of just four known skeletons of this species. The mounted skeleton is about 1.9 metres tall and about 3.3 metres long. It contains 139 original bones, the missing elements have been reconstructed, and the skull is almost completely preserved — with 43 teeth. The auction house stated plainly that some elements were newly made: in this market, an honest description of restoration is the norm.
What this means for the buyer
The price of a skeleton is shaped by the species, the rarity of the particular find, its completeness and the honesty of its description. A large skeleton is not always more expensive than a small one: a small but complete skeleton of a rare species can be worth more than a large one assembled from many fragments.
A skeleton that fits in a living room
Monumental skeletons require an atrium, but many dinosaurs were small. A Psittacosaurus skeleton about 170 centimetres long stands on a low plinth in a living room or study, and a Jeholosaurus skeleton about 70 centimetres long fits on a console. Such an exhibit needs to be viewable from at least two sides and lit from the side, so that the relief of the bones can be read.
As a gift, a skeleton is a gesture on a grand scale. It is chosen together with its future owner: where it will stand, how it will be lit, what kind of stand it will have. RELICTUM handles delivery and installation, and details of completeness and restoration are given in the description of each skeleton.