The Plute Bull that held the Boone and Crockett Club world record for largest American elk antlers was recently sold at auction for $121,000 in Crested Butte, Colorado.

The history of the Plute Bull dates back to 1899 when John Plute, a coal mined, hunted the bull elk in Dark Canyon. Plute lived in a boarding house above John Rozick’s bar and would often pay rent with meat. When Plute passed away in 1922, he had no heirs, so Rozick inherited the antlers.

“Plute allowed John Rozick to hang the antlers in his bar,” said Gary Hubbell, broker/auctioneer for United Country – Colorado Brokers, Inc., in a press release. “After John Plute passed away, the antlers remained with the Rozick family, who passed them down to John’s step-son, Ed Rozman. Ed was a good caretaker of the trophy and eventually had the antlers measured. Though many people tried to persuade him to duplicate the antlers and commercialize them, he never did.  That said, the champion antlers were displayed to the public in numerous states and events over the years.”

The antlers weren’t measured until 1955, but the bull scored a 442 3/8 on the Boone and Crockett (B&C) scale, giving it the world record in 1961. The rack measures more than 51 inches at its greatest spread, with seven points on one side and eight on the other. It remained the world-record holder for more than 30 years.

The recent auction, conducted by Hubbell and his team, ended Sept. 21. The Plute Bull antlers were part of a collection from Rozick’s Elk Saloon that were sold.

“At the end of the auction, the buyer and I nervously sat there and watched the seconds tick away,” Hubbell said in the press release. “Finally, the screen timed out and the auction was over. I congratulated the buyer. He’s a local guy who has done well in life, a passionate elk hunter like myself, who found the Plute Bull to be a fascinating piece of Colorado and American history.”