Napoleon’s Hat Fetches Record $2 Million at Auction

At an auction in Paris on Sunday, the hat of the late French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte brought in a record-breaking 1.932 million euros ($2.1 million).

The hat, called a bicorne, sold for more money than the previous record set by the same auction house in 2014 for a Napoleonic hat. A South Korean businessman paid €1.88 million ($2.05 million).

Auctioneer Jeane-Pierre Osenat said that collectors “the world over” expressed interest in the black hat, which features the blue-white-red symbol of the French flag.

Nonetheless, he refused to reveal the final buyer’s identify or country. The last hat owner was the deceased businessman Jean-Louis Noisiez from last year. The final price exceeded the allotted amount by four times.

The auction house, located in Fontainebleau, south of Paris, stated that the it was sold for more than twice the estimate and almost four times the reserve price, surpassing the initial estimate of 600,000 to 800,000 euros ($655,00 to $873,000).

“We have 1.5 million in the room, 1.5 million for Napoleon’s hat. One million four hundred fifty thousand [euros] on my left. For this significant Napoleon symbol, we’re leaving it at 1.5 million. I’m selling for 1.5 million [before fees], no regrets, sold,” Osenat declared.

Napoleon is thought to have owned about 120 of these hats over the course of 15 years, the majority of which are lost to time.

Prior to the auction, auction house specialist Jean-Pierre Osenat stated, “The hat in itself represented the emperor’s image.”

Before its Hollywood debut, an auction

The hat, which was up for auction on Sunday, was reportedly worn by Napoleon in the midst of his 1808–1815 reign as emperor, according to the auction house.

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