Jurassic Fortunes

Discover the world of dinosaur collecting, a controversial hobby with a booming market. Hear perspectives on the fossil trade from private collectors, paleontologists, and others, as "Big John"—the largest Triceratops fossil ever found—is assembled in Italy and auctioned in France.

Flavio Bacchia, the original buyer of Triceratops skeleton “Big John,” discusses his deliberations around the initial purchase. And on the other side, commercial paleontologist Walter Stein reflects on his conflicted feelings about selling to a private buyer, but why he ultimately chose to sell.

Collector Ralph Wunsch shows off his collection of dinosaur fossils, including a Diplodocus and an Allosaurus that are 155 million years old and were excavated in Wyoming in 2016. Wunsch thinks of dinosaur skeletons as a similar to fine art – able to be displayed in museums and in private homes and collections.