What’s hot in the auction world: Old shoes, rare gems, a T-Rex skeleton

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A skeleton of a 67 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex was recently sold to a private individual for over $6 million



The skeleton of a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex has fetched 5.5 million Swiss francs ($6.13 million) at an auction in Zurich. 

Measuring 3.9 metres (12.8 feet) high and 11.6 metres (38.1 feet) long, TRX-293 Trinity is a composite skeleton of 293 bones from three different T-Rexs found between 2008 and 2023 in the US states of Montana and Wyoming, according to a Reuters report. 

“An undisclosed buyer offered the winning bid of 4.8 million Swiss francs, less than the 5 million to 8 million Swiss francs estimate, but the total price was higher with the buyer’s premium and fees at Koller Auctions,” the report states. 

It was the first time in Europe and the third time worldwide that an entire skeleton of a T-Rex, a creature that roamed the Earth 67 million years ago, of exceptional quality was offered at auction, Koller, Switzerland’s largest auction house, said in a statement.

More than half of the skeleton’s bones are original. The rest are replacements made from plaster and epoxy resin casts, the Reuters report adds.

A pair of sneakers, worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals, meanwhile, fetched a record $2.2 million at an auction last week, making them the most valuable sneakers ever sold.

According to a Reuters report, the Air Jordan 13 “Breds”, short for “black and red”, were worn by Jordan in the second game of the Finals during his final season with the Chicago Bulls, referred to as the “Last Dance”.

Jordan scored 37 points in the game and led the Bulls to a 93-88 win over the Utah Jazz. He went on to win his sixth and final NBA Championship and was named the Finals MVP, adds the Reuters report.

In June, on the other hand, auction house Sotheby’s will offer the world’s largest ruby in New York, estimated to fetch over $30 million.

The auction house made the announcement at a preview in Hong Kong on 17 April, according to a Reuters report. The stone was unearthed from mining company Fura’s ruby mine in Mozambique’s northern region of Montepeuz in July 2022.

The report added that this would probably make the 55.22-carat gem, known as the Estrela de Fura, the most expensive ruby ever sold at auction, said Uni Kim, a specialist in Sotheby’s jewellery department in the Asian financial capital.

 



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