What's happened
The black bicorne hat, one of the signature hats worn by Napoleon Bonaparte, was sold at an auction in Fontainebleau, France, for a record price.
Why it matters
The sale of Napoleon Bonaparte's hat for a record price highlights the enduring fascination with the French emperor and his historical significance.
What the papers say
The New York Times reports that the hat sold for 1.9 million euros, the highest price ever paid for one of Napoleon's hats. Metro mentions that the hat was initially estimated to fetch 600,000 to 800,000 euros. The Independent states that the hat was valued at 600,000 to 800,000 euros and was the centerpiece of the auction. The Guardian mentions that the hat fetched a record 1.932 million euros. France 24 reports that the hat was valued at 600,000 to 800,000 euros. Gulf News mentions that the hat was expected to fetch upwards of 600,000 euros. Metro reports that the hat was valued at between 600,000 and 800,000 euros.
How we got here
The hat was part of a collection of Napoleon items belonging to a French businessman, Jean Louis Noisiez, who passed away last year.
More on these topics
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Napoleon Bonaparte, born Napoleone di Buonaparte, byname "Le Corse" or "Le Petit Caporal", was a French statesman and military leader who became notorious as an artillery commander during the French Revolution.
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country consisting of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories.
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French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul.
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Paris is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,150,271 residents as of 2020, in an area of 105 square kilometres.