Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, prehistoric Megaladon shark jaws, June 12, 2011 at Heritage Largest auction of its kind ever, featuring “The Fighting Pair” Allosaurus and Stegosaurus, a near complete Triceratops, a complete duck-billed Maiasaurus, the largest prehistoric Megaladon shark jaws
News-Antique.com - May 16,2011 - DALLAS, TX – In an unprecedented event, Heritage Auctions will feature no less than four dinosaur skeletons - “The Fighting Pair” Allosaurus and Stegosaurus, a near complete Triceratops, and a complete duck-billed Maiasaurus – along with dozens of important prehistoric treasures, as part of its June 12, 2011 Natural History Auction, in Dallas, at the Tower Building in Fair Park.
The specimens will be on display, and open to the public for viewing, Thursday to Saturday, June 9-11, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Tower building in Fair Park.
“Every one of these incredible fossils is museum-quality,” said David Herskowitz, Director of Natural History at Heritage Auctions. “It’s rare to find even one truly great dinosaur for an auction, let alone the four we’ve managed to assemble for this summertime auction.”
Far and away the stars of the dino show are an Allosaurus and a Stegosaurus collectively known as “The Fighting Pair,” known as such due to their proximity to one another when they were discovered in the Dana Quarry in Wyoming – the first time these two dinosaurs have ever been found together – during the spring of 2007. The team of excavators at this legendary site thought they were on to the find of a lifetime when they found the Allosuaur, whose name is Dracula. Imagine their surprise when they found a complete Stegosaur – named Fantasia – occupying the same space.
“They were literally right on top of one another,” said Herskowitz, “and they were evidently engaged in mortal combat at the time of their demise, as the leg of the Stegosaurus was found in the mouth of the Allosaurus. The association is undeniable.”
“The Fighting Pair” is being sold as a set due to its scientific importance. They carry a pre-auction estimate of $2.8 million.
Next in line is a virtually complete Triceratops skeleton, checking in at more than 19 feet long, seven feet across and more than 12 feet tall, found in the famous Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota in the spring of 2004. It is estimated at $700,000+, and will be on display at the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science, also at Fair Park in Dallas, through early June.
“The completed skeleton is enormous,” said Herskowitz. “If you can imagine this animal when it was alive bearing down on you with that massive skull and those epic horns, you wouldn’t stand a chance. This creature was the size of a small bus, and certainly a lot meaner.”
A complete duck-billed Maiasaurus, hailing from the Two Medicine Formation in Northern Montana, completes the dinosaur quintet being sold in the auction. The specimen, named Cory, was originally discovered almost 20 years ago, but was not fully mounted until a few years ago. Measuring more than 17 feet (5 meters) in length, it is one of the most complete mounted specimens of this species known and possesses a particularly well preserved skull. It
