A handbag described as made from T. rex "leather" failed to sell at auction in Paris after bids reached €150,000, below the €300,000 reserve.

The item, first shown in Amsterdam, is said to be based on collagen protein from a T. rex thigh bone fossil found in Montana, with biotechnology used to develop a skin-like material in the laboratory.

While presented as a form of "authentic dinosaur leather", the claim has drawn scepticism, with some suggesting the material is more accurately described as bio-engineered tanned collagen rather than leather in the traditional sense.

The auction house called it a novel luxury object, though its market reception was limited.

image: VML

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