Directed by: Braeden Clete Meyer

Since its inception as a commercial interest in the 19th century,
a growing debate has formed around vertebrate fossils to
collect, research, and sell significant specimens on the world stage.
In 1997, the most-complete Tyrannosaurus Rex specimen found to
date, Sue, was auctioned off to the Chicago Field Museum for an
unprecedented $8.3 million.
In 2020 the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex named Stan sold for a
record-breaking amount over three times the winning bid for Sue.

Academic and commercial interests were baffled and have only
worsened concerns over who should be able to own, study, and
collect significant fossils in the modern age.