The "Fighting Pair" dinosaurs, an allosaurus and stegosaurus so named because they were found literally on top of one another in Wyoming's Dana Quarry – with the jaw of the allosaurus clamped around the leg of the stegosaurus, leading to the speculation that they were engaged in mortal combat at the moment of their demise – sold for $2,748,500 as part of Heritage Auctions $5.45+ million June 12 Signature Platinum Natural History auction, conducted at The Tower Building at Fair Park in Dallas. All prices include 19.5% Buyer's Premium.

The pair was sold to an overseas bidder and will head for a museum scheduled to open two years from now.

"I'm ecstatic that 'The Fighting Pair' found such a great home," said David Herskowitz, Director of Natural History at Heritage Auctions. "These are important and iconic Jurassic era specimens, which science did not even know existed together at the same time, and now they will be going to a final destination where the public will get to enjoy them and where they will be of maximum benefit to science.

Also selling in the auction was a pristine, almost complete 19-foot long Triceratops, out of South Dakota's Hell Creek formation, which brought $657,250. The triceratops sold to an important private collection.

While it was the impressive dinosaurs bones that generated much of the pre-auction publicity, gem quality minerals, precious metals and meteorites always form an important component of any Heritage Natural History event. Buoyed by a dedicated and enthusiastic collector base the June 12 auction saw some notable results from the superb selection.

Chief among those offerings was a magnificent, deep cherry colored Rhodochrosite from the Good Luck Pocket, Main Stope, Sweet Home Mine, Mount Bross, Buckskin Gulch, Alma District, Park Co., Colorado, which realized a jaw-dropping $358,500.

"This very important specimen comes out of one of the most legendary mines in America," said Herskowitz. "The 'Good Luck Pocket,' discovered on Sept. 21, 1992, is only 4x3 feet and only 2-6 inches across. Yet it's yielded some of the most beautiful minerals on the planet, of which this is one of the finest."

The "Eagle," a very rare piece of natural state crystal gold weighing 25.045 troy ounces – found by a lucky prospector in 1997 in Nullagine, Pibara Region, Western Australia – dazzled collectors with its brilliance was the top lot of precious metal and went home with a smart collector for $119,500.

The top meteorite offering was a spectacular complete slice of meteorite with natural gemstones, originating in Chile's Atacama Desert, with provenance in the British Museum, which ended up in a high-end collection with a final price realized of $80,663.

Sold for: $2,748,500!

In the spring of 2007, the team from Dinosauria International LLC made an exciting discovery in Wyoming: virtually complete skeletons of an Allosaurus and a Stegosaurus. The deadly carnivore and armored herbivore were suspected of having fought pitched battles across the savannahs of Upper Jurassic North America, but never before had they been found together. Here at last was proof not only of their co-existence, but an actual preservation of their combat. The Stegosaur was named "Fantasia" after the scene in the classic Disney film. The Allosaurus was named "Dracula" for its bristling mouthful of deadly teeth.

In our June 2011 auction you will have a unique opportunity to own this unprecedented find: two incredibly well-preserved iconic dinosaurs identified as rare species of well-known genera and found in association in the oldest and least explored stratigraphic zone of a famous and historically important American geological formation. Their early age give insight into the development and evolution of Jurassic dinosaurs in North America and their association gives them historic scientific significance.

The Fighting Pair
Allosaurus "Jimmadsoni" and Hesperosaurus (Stegosaurus) mjosi
Upper Jurassic Period, Kimmeridgian Stage, 155 million years old
Morrison Formation
Dana Quarry, Ten Sleep, Washakie County, Wyoming, USA
The stegosaurus: approximately 8 x 15 feet
The allosaurus: approximately 8 x 17.5 feet

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