World's first T-Rex leather bag fails to sell at Paris auction

Email: online@newsofbahrain.com

Paris: The world's first handbag produced from synthetic leather created from Tyrannosaurus rex cells did not sell at a Paris auction because bids fell far short of expectations. The highest bid was €150,000, significantly less than the €300,000 reserve price established for the unique item.

The bag, which was unveiled earlier this year in Amsterdam, was made from collagen traces extracted from the femur of a T. rex specimen discovered in Montana, United States, some 25 years ago. In a laboratory, scientists harnessed biotechnology to grow cells capable of generating what they described as authentic T. rex-derived leather.

Giquello, an auction company, predicted that the handbag could sell for between €300,000 and €500,000. They described it as a special fusion of scientific innovation and luxury fashion. The auction was held at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris.

Iacopo Briano, a palaeontology researcher involved in the research, explained that the material is made entirely from grown cells, which sets it apart from vegan leather. According to him, it is genuine leather that came from an animal that went extinct some 67 million years ago.

The prehistoric luxury accessory had no buyer because bids refused to match the reserve price despite the scientific breakthrough and widespread publicity surrounding the sale.