Anna Rohleder

Anna Rohleder

8/01/2001 @ 12:01AM

Collecting Dinosaur Bones

Ever since the first Jurassic Park came out in 1993, dinosaurs have been enjoying an unprecedented wave of popularity. Eight years and two sequels later, dinosaurs are not just part of mainstream culture, but they’re increasingly prized as art objects as well. Today, the remains of the prehistoric creatures are just as likely–if not more so–to end up in private collections as in a museum or institution.

Scientists aren’t entirely comfortable with the idea of fossils as collectibles, whether dinosaur bones or the remains of other animals and plants, but those in the trade say that private collectors make important contributions to the field of paleontology. “A lot of the major finds have been made by amateurs or commercial operators,” says Gene Harris Gene Harris , owner of a fossil-selling business called Art By God , based in Miami, Fla. “In a capitalist system, supply and demand is what’s going to guarantee preservation.”

In some parts of the country, dinosaur bones can literally be found in one’s backyard. Located throughout much of the American West–Oklahoma, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas in particular–are some of the richest repositories of dinosaur fossils in the world. However, the “finders-keepers” principle only applies to fossils discovered on private property. Fossils unearthed on state, federal or tribal land must be turned over to the respective authorities.

Though dinosaurs seem to hold a special appeal for children, the average collector is a well-educated adult with the means to acquire fossils that can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. (For example, Nathan Myhrvold, the former chief technology officer of Microsoft, is one of the elite new breed of collectors who can combine his interest in dinosaurs with a passion for archeology and collecting.) An entire dinosaur skeleton–though they are seldom more than 70% complete–can easily cost several million dollars. Sue, a 90% complete tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, brought $8.36 million when she was sold at auction by Sotheby’s in 1997. The purchaser was Chicago’s Field Museum, with the support of McDonald’s and the Walt Disney Co. .

With demand high and big money at stake, an illicit trade in fakes and black-market bones has sprung up in recent years. Suspicious material often originates in China or Morocco, though both countries yield large amounts of legitimate material as well. Because it is a market based on scientific knowledge, fossil collectors who don’t know their subject can be easily hoodwinked.

The value of a fossil is determined by its age, condition and rarity–though aesthetics also plays an important part. Some might argue that the big teeth and claws of t-rexes and triceratops make them sexier than anything else, though there are collectors who concentrate on other types of fossils entirely, such as shark’s teeth or trilobites.

Those types of smaller, more common fossils are generally more affordable than dinosaur bones, but there are certain things all fossils have in common. “The market is based on the difficulty of finding a product, as well as its historical and academic value,” says Harris. “In the end, it comes down to time. If you invest a lot of time in finding and preparing something, it’s more valuable.” More important, each fossil is a one-of-a-kind. And–except perhaps in some enterprising Chinese villages–they’re just not being made anymore.

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