KOLLER TRX-293 TRINITY 18 April 2023

ASSEMBLY, QUALITY ANDMOUNTING TRINITY is not only one of the most beautiful T. rex skeletons ever assembled, thepreservation and preparation of the fossil bones is truly of ex- cellent quality and the highest scientific standard. What alsomakes it exceptional is the partial pres- ervation of very rare Tyrannosaurus bone ele- ments such as the abdominal ribs (gastralia), the upper arm, parts of the shoulder girdle and some hand claws. ‘I was impressed when I saw it, because it all seems to fit together so nicely’, said Dr Siber of the Dinosaur Museum. ‘It’s one of the most im- pressive mounts I’ve seen. The quality of the restoration plus the quality of the mount sort of breathes life again into the specimen, which livedmillions andmillions of years ago. TRX-293 TRINITY would certainly be an astonishing at- traction in anymuseum in theworld’. One should also note that the very modern and dynamic pose is unique among dinosaurs found inmuseums or private collections. The fossil preparator Nils Knötschke, who was formerly the scientific director of the Dino- saur Museum and National Geotope in Münche- hagen, Germany’s largest open-air dinosaur mu- seum, is responsible for the construction of the exciting and anatomically correct mount exhibit- ed in Zurich beginning on 29 March 2023 – the first time ever a T. rex roams Switzerland! ‘After twenty-three years of working with original dinosaur fossils, assembling TRX-293 is one of the absolute highlights of my career; a once in lifetime opportunity’, Knötschke said. ‘On older mountings, a common mistake is that the hands are not inclined. T. rex had very short and inclined arms, literally as long as a human arm. I really like the massive and elegant mount of TRINITY. It’s quite modern and very well made’. What the buyer receives: • Bone count and composite data of the entire TRX-293mount • The rights to reproduce bones which include original fossil materials • Professional bonemap of the entiremount • Photos fromthe field and the dig site • GPS coordinates of all three specimens • Quarrymap of one specimen ABOUTDINOSAUR BONES Fossils of dinosaurs and other forms of life have formedover tens of thousands, up to hundreds of millions of years, but onlywhen the conditions are right – and this is what makes fossil findings so rare. For the process to take place, first the object must be covered by a sediment like mud or sand. This allows soft tissues to disintegrate, leaving behind bones and teeth. The mud or sand often becomes a hard sedimentary layer encasing the bones, which can often cause a distortion of their original shape. The bones’ surroundings, espe- ciallyminerals in the groundwater and sediment, also affect the fossil, as a gradual and partial re- placement of the bones’ original minerals takes place – which explains the large variety of colours and hues on the fossilized bones of animals from the same species. World-renowned fossil preparator Yolanda Schicker-Siber of theDinosaurMuseum inAathal, Switzerland, together with Nils Knötschke, is responsible for the mounting of the TRX-293 TRINITY for public display in Zurich on selected dates between 29 March and 17 April 2023. She explained the process of unearthing dinosaur bones, which takes several years. 12