Oral History and Military Publishing

Napoleon's hat auctioned at $2.1M

PostNapolean on a horse (courtesy: Pixabay free images)

At an auction in France, a black felt bicorn hat believed to have belonged to Napoleon sold for $2.1 million, fetching the highest price ever paid for one of the 19th-century French emperor’s hats.

One of the 120 two-cornered hats said to still exist, Napoleon wore them as part of his everyday uniform. A few of these are in private collections, whereas the rest are displayed in museums by the French government.

Other collectables that also famously went for auction include portraits, letters, a knife, cologne bottles, stockings, and even a ring. An engagement ring belonging to Napoleon’s wife, Josephine, went for $1.2 million in 2013. The first auction of his belongings happened in the years after his death in 1821 on the island of Saint Helena, where he was living in exile