One of Napoleon’s signature bicorne hats on auction could fetch upwards of 600,000 euros
Kyiv • UNN
The hat, along with other items from the collection of Napoleonic relics, is being sold by the Osenat auction house
One of the signature wide black two-horned hats worn by Napoleon Bonaparte when he ruled 19th century France and waged war in Europe is expected to be sold at auction on Sunday for more than 600 thousand euros (650 thousand US dollars), UNN reports citing AP.
Details
Other historical items from industrialist Jean-Louis Noizier's collection of Napoleonic memorabilia include a silver plate stolen from Napoleon's carriage after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. It also includes a wooden dressing table that belonged to him, with razors, a silver toothbrush, scissors, and other personal items.
A faded black felt hat is the centerpiece of the collection, which is estimated to cost between 600 thousand and 800 thousand euros (650 thousand to 870 thousand US dollars).
%%QUOTE_TITLE%%For lovers of Napoleonic souvenirs, the hat is the holy grail.
There are about 20 genuine ones left, about 15 of them are kept in museums, so about 4 or 5 are in the hands of collectors- said the head of the Osenat auction house Jean-Pierre Osenat.
Addendum
According to the auctioneers, the hat was first put up for sale through Colonel Pierre Bayon, Napoleon's quartermaster and one of his associates in many battles, including Waterloo. The hat then passed through many hands before Nozier purchased it. Before his death in 2022, the entrepreneur spent more than half a century assembling his collection of Napoleonic memorabilia, firearms, swords, and coins.
