“Samson” is set to be auctioned off by the international auction house Bonhams and Butterfields on October 3^rd at the Venetian Hotel.

This tyrannosaurus rex skeleton is a  female specimen and contains roughly 170 bones, a little more than half of a full skeleton, making it the third most complete specimen ever to be discovered. In addition, “Samson” boasts an “undistorted and virtually complete skull, considered to be one of the most complete in existence,” according to Thomas Lundgren, the Co-Consulting Director of Natural History for Bonhams and Butterfields.

Utilizing the most modern methods to give the dinosaur the most enhanced aesthetic qualities, “Samson” was prepared by scientists and technicians at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. The relic was native to North America, having been discovered and excavated more than 15 years ago from Buffalo, South Dakota. “Samson” took two years to prepare.

The rare specimen may also be an example of a yet-to-be-named species. “Although research on this particular Tyrannosaurus is still incomplete,” Tyrannosaur Paleontologist Peter Larson says, “it is believed by experts to be one of four possible examples of a yet unnamed species of Tyrannosaurus.”

“Samson” measures 40 feet long and 15 feet tall, able to look through a second story window. With an extremely sensitive sense of smell and binocular color vision, this exceptional creature is a very skilled hunter. Its jagged teeth are able to bite through the leg bone of any contemporary dinosaur.

The most recent tyrannosaurus rex skeleton of this mold went for $8.3 million dollars back in 1997. Nicknamed “Sue,” this skeleton contains almost three quarters of a full skeleton, making it the most complete specimen ever discovered.

“Sue” however, was sold in pieces, making “Samson” the more alluring purchase because it is fully mounted. Were “Sue” to be fully mounted, it would measure 42 feet long, two more feet than “Samson.” “Sue” and “Samson” both weigh around the same amount.

“Sue” currently takes up residence at the Field Museum in Chicago.

Lundgren is expecting an offer similar to that of “Sue.” “I think my estimate is going to be somewhere in the neighborhood of six to eight million dollars.”

The ancient specimen is part of Bonhams and Butterfields’ first Natural History Auction and will feature around 50 different items of dinosaur specimens and fossils. Other items in the auction include a fully mounted “duckbilled” dinosaur skeleton and a seven foot long fossil shark from the Permian period; this fossil was discovered in Germany.

Also featured is a woolly mammoth skeleton, a king fish fossil, and a pair of Einiosaurus nicknamed “Xenia” and “Ben.” These items are estimated anywhere from $150,000 – $600,000.

An illustrated catalogue will be released online on Bonhams and Butterfields’ website a few weeks prior to the auction. All items will be on display starting September 18^th and will be exhibited in the space held by the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum.

According to Lundgren, this will be the public’s first look at “Samson” since its excavation.

Larson is anxious to see “Samson” in action, “I look forward to seeing the entire assembled and fully prepared skeleton in Las Vegas.”

[Bonhams]