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The record

Napoleon's hat sold at auction for almost two million euros

The felt bicorne was one of the symbols of the emperor. There are still about twenty of them in circulation

20/11/2023

Reuters

A hat of Napoleon I, the famous black bicorne with the blue, white and red cockade, was sold for a record €1.932 million (including commissions) in an auction that far exceeded estimates.

This sale attracted "collectors from all over the world" and aroused great enthusiasm, reported the Fontainebleau-based auction house Oseènat, which broke its own record: in 2014 it had sold another Napoleon hat for 1.884 million euros.

It is believed that there are still about twenty felt hats of the leader and emperor in circulation. The one sold was part of the collection of Jean-Louis Noisiez, a French industrialist who died last year, and a great fan of Bonaparte.

Other items at auction included a silver plate looted from Napoleon's carriage after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, a toiletry bag containing a silver toothbrush, razors, scissors and other personal items.