ZURICH/ALTMULTHAL - Fossils of dinosaurs are the new Picassos and Van Goghs. Millions are often given for precious skeletons. Such is the case for Trinity, the skeleton of a T. rex that Antwerp entrepreneur Fernand Huts bought a year and a half ago.
The trade in fossils is booming. And not surprisingly, it’s the fossilized remains of dinosaurs that are most sought after. In recent years, one precious dinosaur skeleton after another has gone under the hammer. T. rex Stan was sold in 2020 for 27 million euros. The new owner, a private collector, will loan the skeleton to a new natural history museum in Abu Dhabi. This past summer saw a new record. Stegosaurus Apex was auctioned for more than 40 million euros. This (anonymous) buyer would also like to loan the skeleton to a museum.
Between the two record auctions was, of course, Trinity, the T. rex bought by Antwerp entrepreneur Fernand Huts at a Zurich auction in April 2023. Huts wants to house the skeleton in the Boerentoren, which he bought earlier and which he will have renovated. Trinity is to become one of the main attractions there.
But where does Trinity come from? For De Standaard, we went in search of the fossil skeleton’s origins. We discovered that the skeleton has a long past history, and that gives an insight into the world of dinosaur fossil hunting and trading. It explains why many paleontologists at universities or public museums are reluctant to deal with private fossil owners.
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- De T. rex van Fernand Huts doorstaat maar net de ‘dinotest’, De Standaard, 26/10/2024.
