T-Rex skeleton sells for $48m

A composite Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton called Trinity, made up of bones from three different T-Rexes, sold for 5.5 million Swiss francs (HK$48 million) in an auction on Tuesday.

Estimated to be 65 to 67 million years old, the skeleton was sold at the Koller auction house in Zurich after being shipped from the US in nine giant crates.

It was bought by a private European collector of modern art and dinosaur relics.

Auctioneer Cyril Koller said it was the third T-Rex skeleton ever sold at auction and the first in Europe.

"It was a wonderful auction because Trinity was on show for two-and-a-half weeks in the concert hall in Zurich," Koller said. "More than 30,000 visitors came and admired Trinity, many of whom were children."

Koller voiced optimism that although the skeleton had been sold to a private buyer, it would remain on public display: "I'm sure we will see Trinity somewhere again."

The skeleton measures 3.9 meters high, 11.6 meters long and 2.65 meters wide.