Billionaire Citadel hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin paid a record-breaking $44.6 million for a nearly-complete Stegosaurus skeleton in a Sotheby’s auction on Wednesday, marking the largest-ever payout for ownership of the largest-ever dinosaur fossil of its kind. The Stegosaurus, an 11-foot-tall, 27-foot-long specimen unearthed in Colorado and nicknamed “Apex” for its impressive size, was only expected to fetch around $6 million when put up for auction, but a furious bidding war between Griffin and six other big spenders steadily drove up the sale price.
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Griffin’s purchase set a new record for the most expensive fossil purchase in history, surpassing the $32 million paid by Abu Dhabi in 2020 for the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The Citadel CEO has a history of bidding exorbitant sums on items of archaeological and historical significance, including his $43.2 million purchase of a first-edition copy of the US Constitution in 2021. In both instances, Griffin has emphasized keeping American artifacts safely in the country. The copy of the Constitution was loaned to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and the Stegosaurus will likely be sent to an American museum as well.
“Apex was born in America and is going to stay in America,” he said after the sale.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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