One of the signature broad, black bicorne hats that Napoleon Bonaparte wore when he ruled 19th-century France and waged war in Europe is expected to fetch upward of $650,000 at auction on Sunday. The faded black felt hat is the star piece of the auction, valued at between $650,000 to $870,000. While other officers customarily wore their hats with the wings facing front to back, Napoleon wore his with the ends pointing toward his shoulders. That style—known as "en battaille," or "in battle," in French—made it easier for his troops to spot the military general and statesman in combat.
"For people who are into Napoleonic souvenirs, it's the holy grail to have a hat," said Jean-Pierre Osenat, head of the Osenat auction house. "There's about 20 left that are authentic and about 15 of them are kept in museums, so there's about 4 or 5 that are in collectors' hands." The hat on sale was first recovered by Col. Pierre Baillon, a quartermaster under Napoleon and one of his comrades in arms in many battles, including Waterloo, according to the auctioneers. The hat then passed through many hands before industrialist Jean-Louis Noisiez acquired it, reports the AP.
The entrepreneur spent more than half a century assembling his collection of Napoleonic memorabilia, firearms, swords, and coins before his death in 2022. Other history-laden items in the sale of his collection include a silver plate looted from Napoleon's carriage after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 that's valued at $22,000 to $32,500. The auctioneers say it was part of a haul of 400 pounds of silverware that was looted during the French retreat and shared among soldiers on the winning side. The auction also includes a wooden vanity case he owned, complete with razors, a silver toothbrush, scissors, and other personal belongings. Its estimated sale price is $43,500 to $65,000.
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