PHILLIPS TO OFFER LANDMARK JUVENILE TRICERATOPS, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND EVER DISCOVERED

NEW YORK – 24 SEPTEMBER 2025 – This November, Phillips will break new ground by presenting wonders of natural history alongside Modern and Contemporary art for the first time in the company’s history. Leading this unprecedented moment is “Cera,” the first full juvenile Triceratops ever discovered and the first Triceratops specimen of any kind to be offered at auction in the United States in over a decade. Estimated at $2.5 – 3.5 million, the 66-million-year-old skeleton from the Late Cretaceous period stands as the highlight from Out of This World, a specially curated section of the November Modern & Contemporary Art Sales dedicated to extraordinary objects from the natural world. Cera will be offered alongside other extraordinary specimens, including a remarkably preserved Steneosaurus bollensis fossil captured in mid-contraction and “The Thunderbolt,” a gold nugget weighing 114.6 troy ounces and stretching more than 1.5 feet long. All will be publicly exhibited for the first time at 432 Park Avenue ahead of the Evening Sale on 19 November.

Miety Heiden, Phillips’ Chairman, Private Sales, said, “It is undeniable that today’s global collectors are increasingly drawn to rare and extraordinary objects that transcend traditional collecting categories. They seek the unexpected. As a house known for innovation and nimbly meeting market demand, expanding our offering to include wonders of the ancient world is a natural next step for Phillips. The growing appetite for these one-of-a-kind treasures makes this an incredibly exciting moment to bring them to our global audience. There’s something powerful about the visual dialogue that happens between an awe-inspiring 66-million-year-old lot when presented alongside seminal works from the Modern and Contemporary eras. Client demand has inspired this offering, and we cannot wait to share this opportunity with our global collecting community this fall.”

Phillips has partnered with Christian D. Link, an expert in natural history auctions, bringing his acclaimed Out of this World auction series to the Modern & Contemporary Art Day and Evening sales. Link is well-recognized for having organized five highly successful natural history auctions in Europe and selling the first-ever complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton outside of the U.S. auction market. Link says, “I am thrilled to begin this new chapter with Phillips. My passion has always been to bring extraordinary objects to auction, from natural history and space exploration to the marvels of human achievement. What excites me most is sharing these treasures with collectors, guiding them into corners of history they may never have explored. I see my role as opening new paths for discovery and recognize the importance of handling these incredible objects with both scientific accuracy and respect. The appearance of Cera the Triceratops marks a defining moment in my professional journey, one that I am proud to share with a global audience.”

Belonging to the dinosaur group Ceratopsidae, which are characterized by dramatic variations in facial horns and frill shapes, the Triceratops is one of the most popular dinosaurs and lived alongside the notorious Tyrannosaurus rex at the end of the Late Cretaceous period (approximately 100.5 to 66 million years ago) in North America. While dozens of Triceratops have been found in the past, juvenile fossils remain exceedingly rare. Cera is the first known full juvenile Triceratops, marking an exciting moment for collectors across the globe.

With Triceratops skeletons already rare, the chance of discovering a fully intact juvenile specimen is virtually impossible. Cera stands out for its remarkable state of preservation, representing well over two-thirds of the original skeleton – significantly more complete than what is typically encountered in comparable specimens of any age. Key parts of the skull, vertebral column, and limbs are original, making it one of the most comprehensive Triceratops specimens in existence and likely the most complete juvenile specimen. Its skeleton includes what is among the finest set of leg bones discovered in any Triceratops skeleton, adult or juvenile. At the time of death, Cera was approximately four years old and measuring just fourteen feet long, in stark contrast to its adult counterparts, which achieve a length of about thirty feet.

Excavated in 2016 by Gary Olson on the “Lazy VC Kelly Ranch” in South Dakota, Cera comes from the late Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation, a fossil-rich geological layer exposed in the northwestern part of the state. Following excavation and mounting, it was given the name Cera in homage to the Don Bluth film The Land Before Time, one of many cultural touchstones that highlights a universal and timeless fascination with dinosaurs.

Alongside Cera, Out of this World will feature “The Thunderbolt,” a gold nugget weighing 117.5 troy ounces and stretching nearly two feet long, an exceptionally preserved Steneosaurus bollensis skeleton captured mid-contraction, and a 2.5-billion-year-old tiger iron segmentation — a combination of tiger's eye, hematite, and red jasper — that is one of the largest and most impressive ever discovered.

Presented in dialogue with the Modern & Contemporary Art sales this November, these rare natural specimens offer collectors the opportunity to acquire museum-quality pieces that blur the line of fine art and artifact.  

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUT OF THIS WORLD

Auction: 

Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale – 19 November, 5PM ET

Out of This World – 20 November, 11AM ET

Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale – 21 November, 10AM and 2PM ET

Location: 432 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022