Current:Home > StocksNapoleon's bicorne hat sold at auction for a history-making price -Secure Horizon Growth
Napoleon's bicorne hat sold at auction for a history-making price
View
Date:2025-04-14 14:07:22
Napoleon Bonaparte's iconic hat sold at auction Sunday, fetching a history-making $2.1 million. While French auction house Osenat expected the hat to go for up to $875,328, it far surpassed that amount – and the previous record holder, a Napoleon hat sold at the same auction house for about $2 million in 2014, according to AFP.
Napoleon was a French general who was key to the French Revolution and then overthrew the French government, and ultimately becoming the emperor of France. The felt hat with its emblem the colors of the French flag – red, white and blue – dates back to the 1800s, according to Osenat.
His hat was later owned by Colonel Pierre Baillon, a military officer, who kept it in his family until the 19th century when his grandson sold it. Antiques dealer Charles Meyer sold the hat to Jean Brunon in 1928 and it was passed down in his family.
"Our hat was used by Emperor Napoleon I in the middle of the Empire during the period when Baillon was assigned to the Emperor's Palace (1806-1815)," the description on the Osenat website reads. Napoleon wore the hat as he returned from the island of Elba in 1815. Napoleon, who was exiled to the island in 1814, escaped and returned to France a year later, becoming emperor again.
Napoleon was known for wearing hats like this – often cocked to the side, according to BBC News.
In a video about the hat ahead of the sale, auctioneer Jean Pierre Osenat said Napoleon owned about 120, but only about 16 remain, mainly in private collections.
Pierre said this particular hat "had been through many events" and symbolized Napoleon's "history of 15 years that revolutionized France and changed the world."
He said the image of Napoleon wearing this type of hat – sideways, unlike everyone else – is "the image we have in mind when we think about Napoleon's world."
CBS News has reached out to Osenat for further information and is awaiting response.
Caitlin O'KaneCaitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.
veryGood! (172)
Related
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Nikki Garcia Seeks Legal and Physical Custody of Son Matteo Amid Artem Chigvintsev Divorce
- Officers who beat Tyre Nichols didn’t follow police training, lieutenant testifies
- Arizona man copied room key, sexually assaulted woman in hotel: Prosecutors
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Explosion at an Idaho gas station leaves two critically injured and others presumed dead
- In 2014, protests around Michael Brown’s death broke through the everyday, a catalyst for change
- 'The Roommate' review: Mia Farrow is sensational in a decent Broadway comedy
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- A record-setting 19 people are in orbit around Earth at the same time
Ranking
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Explosion at an Idaho gas station leaves two critically injured and others presumed dead
- Another Midwest Drought Is Causing Transportation Headaches on the Mississippi River
- Gracie Abrams mobilizes 'childless cat or dog people,' cheers Chappell Roan at LA concert
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- DC police officers sentenced to prison for deadly chase and cover-up
- A man pleads guilty in a shooting outside then-US Rep. Zeldin’s New York home
- 1 person shot during scuffle at pro-Israel rally in Boston suburb, authorities say
Recommendation
Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
A strike would add to turbulent times at Boeing
Tagovailoa diagnosed with concussion after hitting his head on the turf, leaves Dolphins-Bills game
Police killing of an unarmed Nebraska man prompts officers to reconsider no-knock warrants
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
Demi Lovato Has the Sweetest Reaction to Sister Madison De La Garza’s Pregnancy
The Best Boot Trends for Fall 2024 & We're Obsessed - Featuring Styles From Kenneth Cole, Amazon & More
A man pleads guilty in a shooting outside then-US Rep. Zeldin’s New York home