SVP has written to the auction house Christie’s New York concerning the high-profile sale of the Tyrannosaurus rex specimen known as STAN.

In recent high-profile auctions of dinosaur specimens such as the sale of an Allosaurus by Aguttes auction house and the sale of an Allosaurus and Camptosaurus by Artcurial auction house, SVP requested that the sale be cancelled and that arrangements be made to put the specimens into the public trust. In the case of STAN the T. rex the situation is more complex and we understand that the sale is the result of a court ruling. In this instance we have requested that Christie’s restrict the sale to bidders from institutions committed to curating specimens for the public good and in perpetuity, or those bidding on behalf of such institutions. You can read the letter here.