Jodi the Nanotyrannus Skeleton at Sotheby's New York

The discovery of an entirely new dinosaur genus is rare enough; the arrival of one of only three known skeletal examples at auction is rarer still. Sotheby's New York has announced the forthcoming sale of Jodi, an exceptionally preserved Nanotyrannus that represents not merely a specimen of palaeontological significance, but a watershed moment in how the world's finest natural history collections are formed and held. When mounted, Jodi stands approximately 6.5 feet tall and stretches to 19.6 feet in length: a creature preserved across nearly 190 individual bone elements that together constitute the finest and most complete example of this species currently available to private collectors.

The confirmation last autumn that Nanotyrannus is not, as long supposed, a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex but rather a distinct genus entirely rewrote the understanding of small theropod dinosaurs in the late Cretaceous. Jodi's emergence onto the market now, as the first of its kind to be offered for sale in the wake of this scientific watershed, carries particular resonance for those collectors and institutions whose passion for natural history encompasses both aesthetic splendour and intellectual consequence.

An Exceptional Specimen

Discovered in 2019 by rancher Jodi Pierson on her privately owned land in Garfield County, Montana, within the Hell Creek Formation, the skeleton was subsequently excavated by commercial palaeontologist Clayton Phipps. The site itself lies merely eight miles from the celebrated dig location of the Dueling Dinosaurs, a discovery that speaks to the extraordinary fossil richness of this particular region. What distinguishes Jodi from comparative specimens is the near complete state of its skull, comprising 53 individual bones: the maxillae, fused nasals, quadratojugals, jugals, dentaries and braincase all present and substantially intact. Such cranial completeness is exceedingly uncommon in dinosaur material, and offers collectors and researchers alike an extraordinary window into the anatomical reality of this newly confirmed species.

Only Bloody Mary, the Nanotyrannus that forms part of the celebrated Dueling Dinosaurs pairing, exceeds Jodi in terms of overall completeness and significance. The distinction matters considerably to those whose collecting decisions rest upon rarity, provenance and scientific merit in equal measure.

Encounter and Acquisition

Jodi will be on display at the Breuer building in New York from 13 through 25 October, affording collectors, curators and enthusiasts the rare opportunity to examine this remarkable creature in person before the sale on 27 October. The viewing represents a moment of genuine consequence within the natural history market: the chance to experience firsthand the anatomical reality of a genus only recently confirmed as distinct, and to assess for oneself the quality and completeness of preservation that has attracted the attention of the auction house.

Those wishing to bid may register through Sotheby's official channels. For collectors whose passion encompasses the intersection of science, natural wonder and aesthetic magnificence, the opportunity to acquire material of this calibre and historical moment remains extraordinarily rare.

The sale of Jodi represents far more than a transaction in fossil material; it embodies a moment when scientific understanding and the world of serious collecting converge, and when the natural world, preserved across millions of years, finds its place within the hands and vision of those equipped to cherish it.

Key Facts

Specimen Name: Jodi
Species: Nanotyrannus
Rarity: One of only three known skeletons
Dimensions (mounted): Approximately 6.5 feet tall, 19.6 feet long
Bone Elements: Approximately 190 fossil bone elements
Discovery Location: Hell Creek Formation, Garfield County, Montana (discovered 2019)

The Simply Luxury View

Jodi's arrival at Sotheby's New York speaks to the maturation of natural history as a domain of serious collecting, where scientific significance, rarity and aesthetic presence command the same discernment applied to Old Master paintings or contemporary sculpture. The confirmation of Nanotyrannus as a distinct genus—a reclassification that occurred only last year—elevates Jodi from the category of mere specimen into something far more consequential: material that informed current understanding of Cretaceous ecosystems, and an artifact whose provenance and completeness will endure across generations.

For collectors at the highest levels, the intersection of scientific breakthrough and material scarcity has historically proven irresistible. Jodi's position as the first specimen of its newly confirmed genus to reach the market, combined with its near-unparalleled skeletal completeness, positions it within that rare category of acquisitions that do not diminish in significance or wonder with the passage of time, but deepen it.

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