Jurassic Park Screen-Matched Mosquito in Amber Prop Sells for $403,200 at Propstore

One of the most recognizable objects from Jurassic Park has sold for more than double its high estimate at Propstore. The screen-matched mosquito in amber fossil seen during the opening sequence of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster sold for $403,200 including buyer’s premium during Propstore’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction in Los Angeles. The prop hammered for $320,000, with Propstore’s 26% buyer’s premium bringing the final price to $403,200. It had been estimated at $100,000 to $200,000.

The original Propstore auction listing identifies the piece as the fossil discovered by Juanito Rostagno’s men during lawyer Donald Gennaro’s visit to the Mano de Dios amber mine in the Dominican Republic. In the scene, Rostagno holds the amber up toward the lights on the miners’ helmets as the camera shifts focus to the prehistoric mosquito trapped inside.

Propstore was able to screen-match this particular piece through several distinctive characteristics. The auction house cited the bubbling in the amber, the exact position of the mosquito and the pattern where the amber meets the surrounding rock as details that correspond with the close-up shot seen in the finished movie.

The mosquito in amber is central to the entire premise of Jurassic Park. Within the movie, scientists use dinosaur DNA recovered from prehistoric mosquitoes preserved in amber to create the animals that populate John Hammond’s Isla Nublar park. The imagery appears again through Hammond’s famous cane, which contains its own mosquito trapped in amber.

Despite its fossil-like appearance, the screen-used prop is actually made from resin that was textured and painted to resemble amber embedded in stone. A mosquito created to look prehistoric was placed inside the resin. The piece measures approximately 4 inches by 6 inches by 2.5 inches and shows signs of production use and age, including cracked resin and minor paint flaking.

The auction marked the first time the screen-matched fossil had been offered publicly, according to Propstore. It was accompanied by a Propstore Certificate of Authenticity.