They walked the land millions of years ago but now, they dominate auction cinemas and museums. Dinosaurs, once considered outdated fossils, have now become the most sought after treasures in the world of large-scale weternized capitalism, where their worth competes with rare art pieces and extravagant properties.
The market now bustles with activity and stiff competition. Skeletons of the full Tyrannosaurus Rex can now go for approximately $20 to $30 million due to their heated popularity, withstanding last year’s headline breaking auction of a stegosaurus fossil named Apex for $44.6 million, shattering the expectations of even the most stoic paleontologists. And the owner? Shipping Magnate Kenneth griffin, who long term plans on keeping it on “loan” at the American Museum of Natural History.
And the craze is not limited to the US, in a capitalistic conquest to brand itself as a cultural powerhouse, Abu Dhabi has spent an estimated $30 million dollars on “Stan,” the T-Rex skeleton, marking it as the oversized attraction for tourists in their upcoming history museum.
The tension and competitive edge rises, with more questions than answers: who entire past as the sole items on display for the public is now the playground for once gated luxurious playgrounds leave open, free to explore freely devoid of any restrictions.
It’s easily noticed that dinosaurs’ remains are not just past relics; In the current century today, they are and have been some of the most prestigious symbols of wealth around the globe.