Odd Lots Inside the Booming Market for Dinosaur Fossils
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May 2, 2026 
Salomon Aaron, a director at London gallery David Aaron and dinosaur fossil broker, dives into the wild private trade in ancient bones. He explores how fossils are found, authenticated, and priced. The conversation gets into auction records, legal provenance, risky composites, younger tech buyers, and why soaring prices can fund new excavations.
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Why American Fossils Dominate the Legitimate Trade
- In the US, fossils found on private land can be sold legally with proper permissions, which is why Salomon Aaron only deals in American material.
- His gallery wants GPS coordinates, land deeds, sale agreements, in-situ videos, witness statements, and site visits before offering a specimen.
Why Fossil Completeness Is Easy To Misread
- A dinosaur skeleton can look complete while containing little original bone because restorers fill gaps with resin or 3D-printed parts.
- Salomon Aaron uses specialist reviews and bone maps showing percentages of each bone to prevent completeness from being overstated.
How One T Rex Sale Reset Fossil Prices
- Fossil pricing lacks stable benchmarks because a few headline auction sales reset expectations across the whole market.
- Stan sold for $31 million after Sue's old $8 million record, then Big John, Apex, and other marquee lots pulled values sharply higher.