A juvenile dinosaur fossil, Ceratosaurus nasicornis, has sold at Sotheby’s New York for US$30.5 million (£22.7 million). It is part of a recent resurgence of art-market interest in fossils and natural history – palaeontology and geology especially. Indeed, this latest dinosaur sale was part of an auction specifically dedicated to natural history.

Led by iconic Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils, the prices for such specimens have reached eyewatering levels in recent years. “Stan”, currently the most expensive T-Rex, sold for US$31.8 million at Christie’s New York in 2020. Then a Stegosaurus called “Apex” sold for US$44.6 million in New York in 2024.

The US$30.5 million sale of the juvenile Ceratosaurus, a much smaller species, raises the market bar significantly. Even a T-Rex fossil foot at the latest Sotheby’s auction far exceeded its published estimate of US$250,000-US$300,000, selling for US$1.8 million. When you reflect that a full T-Rex fossil by the name of “Sue” sold for US$8.4 million in 1997 – US$17 million in today’s money – it looks cheap by comparison.

Sotheby’s marketing of the Ceratosaurus........

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