A unique auction featuring a Woolly Rhinoceros skeleton, a Tyrannosaurus Rex tooth, and a Stegadon skull will be held Thursday at Bonham's Natural History sale in New York. And there's a lot more, so let's take a look.

The Woolly Rhinoceros skeleton, which would have roamed the Earth back in the Ice Age, is fully mounted and is estimated to sell for between 70,000 and 90,000 US dollars.

Measuring 12-feet in length, the Xiphantinus audax, one of the largest bony fish that existed during the Cretaceous Period, is estimated at 150,00 to 200,000 dollars.

Dinosaur lots to be offered include a large leg bone from a Brachiosaurus, and an impressive Tyrannosaurus rex tooth. The tooth, thought to have been swallowed by another dinosaur is estimated to sell for between 12,000 to 15,000 dollars.

For Space buffs, a collection of 30 meteorites will also be offered, at costs anywhere between 600 dollars to a whopping 75,000 dollars.

Thomas Lindgren, Co-Director of Natural History at Bonhams, said, "We find that collectors of meteorites transcend both the art market and the collector market in the sense that we can use meteorite specimens of aesthetic appeal for both art, sculptural art, but also for the scientific interests that they bring. We have a meteorite called the LA meteorite, which is actually a meteorite that originated on Mars."

With gold sales on the rise as investors perceive it to be a safe haven, Bonhams expects large gold nuggets from the mineral section to do well.

One unusually large gold piece found in Alaskan waters is estimated at 30,000 to 40,000 dollars. Most nuggets from the region weigh one ounce, but the nugget up for auction is 20.6 ounces.

And lastly, there is a collection of 850 mineral eggs carved in the renowned gem-cutting center of Idar-Obserstein in Germany. The eggs are estimated to sell for between 150,000 to 200,000 dollars.

Go to Forum >>0 Comments