‘It was a deal’: Bellingham native buys Pacific Science Center’s stegosaurus head for thousands

As the Pacific Science Center’s dinosaur exhibit fell into disrepair and became too expensive for upkeep, many of the items from the exhibit were put up for auction.

The Bellingham Coin Shop owner, R.B. Wick, chose to buy the stegosaurus head from the exhibit, a purchase that co-hosts Jake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill admitted they wished they had made first.

“My wife and I both slept under it when we were like six years old,” Wick said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “There’s a lot of nostalgia here for the Pacific Northwest, so when I saw it come up for sale, I was like, I have to have it. I can’t let it go.

“There was a limit [Wick would spend], but I just kept sitting on it, and now it gets to hang out in my shop,” Wick continued. “We’re going to mount it above the door. It just has a lot of nostalgic value to my wife and me. She didn’t give me a budget; she trusts me.”

Wick invites listeners to send old photos, footage of the stegosaurus

Wick said the stegosaurus head cost him a pretty penny, though he considered it a bargain for something so meaningful to his family and many others in the Pacific Northwest.

“It’s $3,900. About somewhere in that range,” Wick said. “Dude, as far as like, something that’s historic to and nostalgic for both of you and me and every other listener here that’s been in the Pacific Northwest, it was a deal. I would also invite any of your listeners who have old footage or photos to please send them to me. I would love to put them with it.”

When asked if the stegosaurus had a name, Wick said he hadn’t chosen one yet, but shared some coincidental news.

“Does this guy have a name? I mean, people lovingly name these from time to time,” Jake asked.

“We have not named it yet, which, coincidentally, I just had a kid five days ago; his name is Rex,” Wick said. “My wife chose the name. So if anybody has a T. rex, we would probably add that.”

Any photos or videos of Wick’s newly acquired stegosaurus can be sent to the Bellingham Coin Shop.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.