Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko publicly backed a tokenized dinosaur skull sale on Wednesday as the fundraise approached its deadline, having secured commitments exceeding $400,000 of its $660,000 target.
Jurassic Finance is creating one million tradable tokens representing ownership stakes in Deaton, a Triceratops prorsus skull discovered in North Dakota's Hell Creek Formation in 1999. Each TRCH1 token costs approximately $0.69 and represents one-millionth of the fossil.
Funding Structure and Asset Ownership
Contributors had committed $406,667 in USDC by Wednesday morning, covering 61% of the target with roughly 13 hours remaining in the fundraise window.
The $660,000 total splits into two parts: $600,000 will fund the fossil acquisition, while $60,000 goes to Jurassic Finance's operational treasury. Ownership operates through a special purpose vehicle, with token holders receiving economic rights to the fossil rather than direct legal title to the physical bone.
The fundraise operates on an all-or-nothing basis. If the project fails to reach its $660,000 target, all contributors receive full refunds in USDC. The project will not accept oversubscription.
Fossil Quality and Valuation
Preparation of Deaton finished last year after the skull's extraction in 1999. The specimen retains all three original horns and is 60% to 65% complete by bone mass, meeting museum-grade standards.
Jurassic Finance cited a comparable transaction as valuation support. Sofia, a sub-adult Triceratops skull, sold for $840,000 on July 1 against a pre-sale estimate of $600,000 to $800,000.
The team plans to place Deaton on long-term loan with museums rather than store it privately. Museums will fund operational overhead in exchange for display rights.
Broader Context
The Solana blockchain has attracted varied tokenized collectibles, from manga to equities. Jurassic Finance first announced its fossil tokenization plan in July.
At the time of the fundraise push, SOL traded near $97, having declined approximately 4% over the preceding 24 hours.
