T-Rex skeleton pulled from Hong Kong auction
Shen the Tyrannosaurus rex on display at Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall in Singapore on Oct 28, 2022. (Photo: CNA/Kurt Ganapathy)
SINGAPORE: The fossilised skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex - the first such specimen to be offered at auction in Asia - has been withdrawn from Christie's upcoming autumn auctions week event in Hong Kong.
The skeleton was originally to be auctioned off during the event on Nov 30.
"After consultation with the consignor of the Tyrannosaurus Rex scheduled for sale on Nov 30 in Hong Kong, Christie’s has decided to withdraw the lot," said a Christie's spokesperson.
"The consignor has now decided to loan the specimen to a museum for public display."
According to Christie's initial news release, the value of the skeleton was previously estimated to be between HK$120 million and HK$200 million (US$15 million to US$25 million). However, articles about the specimen on the auction house's website have since been taken down.
The spokesperson also told CNA that the planned preview of the T-Rex skeleton during the autumn auctions week event at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre has also been cancelled due to the withdrawal.
However, the preview and sales of other works and objects during the event will proceed as planned.
When asked about future plans for the T-Rex skeleton, the spokesperson said that it "is for the consignor or institution to share at their discretion".
The skeleton - nicknamed Shen - was previously displayed in Singapore at Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall from Oct 28 to Oct 30 as part of a preview for the autumn auctions week event.
Singapore was chosen as a location for the preview to reflect Christie's "continued commitment, investment and confidence in Singapore as the key centre for Southeast Asia", said Francis Belin, president of Christie's Asia Pacific, earlier in October.
At the time, Mr Belin said that it was "the will of the consigner that the skeleton be presented at auction", and that the consigner "had also invested in scientific research by academic palaeontologists 'in the interest of accessibility, science and furthering knowledge'".
Just two T-Rex skeletons have previously been offered at auction: "Sue", which was sold by Sotheby’s for US$8.3 million in 1997, and "Stan", which was sold by Christie's for US$31.8 million in 2020.
