Ken Griffin, an American billionaire whose fortune is estimated at $40 billion by Forbes magazine, has dealt with “a little bit of extravagance.” He bought a Stegosaurus skeleton on Wednesday for $44.6 million. A record sum. Ken Griffin, chairman of the Citadel Capital investment fund and a major Republican donor, plans to loan the prized fossil to an American institution so it can be displayed to the public.
Where does this dinosaur skeleton come from?
The skeleton was discovered in May 2022 in Colorado on the private property of paleontologist Jason Cooper. Sotheby's worked with the seller from the beginning to ensure the transparency of the transaction.
The buyer plans to lend the skeleton “Apex.” The approximately 150-million-year-old stegosaurus, known for its spiked plates along its back, is in exceptionally good condition. It could also beat the previous record held by a T-Rex named “Sue,” which sold for $31.8 million in 2020.
From Constitution to Dinosaur Skeleton
This isn’t the collector’s first attempt. In November 2021, Griffin already attracted attention by spending $43 million on an original copy of the United States Constitution, an acquisition he quickly shared with the public by loaning it to a museum in Arkansas.
Dinosaur skeletons are increasingly being sold at auction, sparking controversy and frustration among paleontologists who fear that these fossils are slipping out of museums and scientific research and ending up in private collections.
