Almost 180,000€ for the skull of the triceratops

PARIS.- The Binoche and Giquello auctionneers organized the event of the week at Drouot by offering for the first time the auction of remarkable dinosaurs skeletons older than a several million years. During the two days of the exhibition, more than 5 000 visitors crossed the doors of sales room 9, transformed for the occasion into a true cabinet of curiosities. The public came to admire these wonders of nature: fossils, corals, naturalized felines, minerals and meteorites.

In a full room, with bidders on the phone and on the internet, the prices saored. With 50 lots acquired by collectors, amateurs and decorators, this auction totaled 316 920 €.

The indisputable star of this sale was an imposing triceratops which was sold for 177 800 € (Lot n°49). Last Friday, more than 100 000 people had seen the arrival of the skull at Drouot, live on social media.

This was followed by an important meteorite from the historic site Campo del Cielo in Argentina. Starting at 36 830 €, this heavenly treasure tripled its estimate (Lot n°35).

Then came:

  •  A stuffed tiger, Panthera Tigris, which was born and died in an Italian zoological park in the 20th century, sold for 19 050 €. (Lot n°21)
  • A composition of poca coral, Montipora sp. from the Solomon Islands, mounted on a base in gilded metal surmounting a blackened wooden base, sold for 9 525 €, which is three times its estimate. (Lot n°13)
  •  Fossilized fish on a plate – Brannerion sp. with five Racholepis sp. – from Brazil, sold for 3 556 €, more than double their estimate. (Lot n°2)

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