In a testament to the adage that money can’t buy happiness but can procure almost anything one desires, even the most unusual and expensive items, Ken Griffin, founder of Citadel hedge fund, has made headlines with his purchase of a 150-million-year-old stegosaurus named ‘Apex’ for a staggering $44.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York.
An IMGW News Report
The stegosaurus, a herbivorous dinosaur recognisable for its distinctive double row of large bony plates along its back and spikes on its tail, roamed the Earth during the Late Jurassic period, approximately 150 million years ago. These dinosaurs are believed to have become extinct around 150 million years ago, disappearing during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event along with many other species.
The nearly complete specimen, standing 11 feet tall and stretching 27 feet long, far exceeded its presale estimate, generating considerable interest from seven bidders during the live auction.
The stegosaurus, discovered in Dinosaur, Colorado, is set to be displayed in a U.K. museum, fulfilling Griffin’s intention to keep it on British soil. This acquisition adds to Griffin’s previous ventures in palaeontology, including funding the display of a titanosaur cast at the Field Museum in Chicago and securing a copy of the U.S. Constitution, which he loaned to the Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas.
Sotheby’s highlighted ”Apex’ as the centrepiece of its Natural History auction, which featured a range of items from fossils to meteorites, underscoring the growing interest and substantial sums collectors are willing to pay for such specimens.
Citadel, founded by Ken Griffin in 1990 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is a multinational hedge fund with assets under management exceeding $250 billion. The firm employs diverse investment strategies encompassing equities, fixed income, commodities, credit, and quantitative trading.
