The world’s largest dinosaur skeleton ever offered at auction is set to sell for a fittingly large sum this coming winter. The Apatosaurus specimen, known as “Vulcain,” is expected to fetch between $3.3 million and $5.4 million (€3 million and €5 million) at Parisian auction houses Collin Du Bocage and Barbarossa in November.
Vulcain measures roughly 69 feet from tip to tail and boasts a bone structure that is more than 80 percent complete. This giant herbivore, approximately 150 million years old, was discovered in the paleontology hotspot of Wyoming in 2018. The excavation, which took three years, carefully brought the bones to the surface. The GPS point, excavation plan, and osteological map will be sold with the skeleton, providing a comprehensive record of the find.
The Apatosaurus is remarkably similar to the Brontosaurus. The skeletons of both dinosaurs were discovered around the same time in the late 1800s and named by O.C. Marsh. Fast forward a few years, and American paleontologist Elmer Riggs argued in a 1903 publication that the two dinosaurs were not different enough for separate monikers. As the Apatosaurus had been christened first, the Brontosaurus adopted that name. Many modern paleontologists believe the dinosaurs deserve individual titles because of subtle differences.
The sauropod family, to which these dinosaurs belonged, lived in North America, Europe, and parts of Africa during the late Jurassic period (between 145 million and 160 million years ago). The American Museum of Natural History’s Apatosaurus was the first sauropod ever mounted and went on view in 1905. It has been a focal point of the collection ever since.
This particular Apatosaurus, Vulcain, will be displayed at Dampierre castle in Dampierre-en-Yvelines, France, from July 13 until November 3, before it is auctioned off on November 16. Eric Mickeler, who has sold a range of dinosaur skeletons at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Aguttes over the past 20 years, has been appointed the expert of Vulcain.
Despite some criticism from the scientific community, dinosaur skeletons have become highly collectible, and prices for specimens have increased significantly over the past 25 years. For example, Tyrannosaurus rex “Sue” achieved $8.4 million at Sotheby’s in 1997, while fellow T.rex Stan realized a record $31.8 million at Christie’s in 2020. That makes $5 million sound like a bargain.
As Vulcain prepares to take center stage at the upcoming auction, it serves as a reminder of the enduring fascination with these magnificent creatures and the lengths collectors will go to possess a piece of prehistoric history.
