Napoleon's Famous Sword And Firearms Sold At Auction
The sword carried by the great Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte when he ended the French Revolution has been sold at an auction organized in the United States.
According to AFP, the sword carried by Napoleon Bonaparte during the 1799 coup d'état and five firearms that belonged to the French emperor, who died in exile 200 years ago, have been sold at auction for more than 2.8 million dollars.
The lot, consisting of a sword and five ornate pistols, was sold on 3 December at a telephone auction by the Rock Island Auction Company in Illinois to an unnamed buyer, said company president Kevin Hogan.
The lot had been estimated at between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.
"For 2.87 million dollars, the buyer of the weapons that belonged to Napoleon is taking home a very rare piece of history," Kevin Hogan said.
Historians believe the coup marked the official end of the French Revolution.
Crowned emperor on 2 December 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte presented his sword to General Jean-Andoche Junot. After his death, the weapon was in a museum in London and then in the possession of an American collector.
The auction house recalled that in 2007, "the sword carried by (First Consul Bonaparte) in the Battle of Marengo (against Austrian troops in June 1800 in Piedmont, Italy) was sold at auction for $6.5 million".
According to AFP, the sword carried by Napoleon Bonaparte during the 1799 coup d'état and five firearms that belonged to the French emperor, who died in exile 200 years ago, have been sold at auction for more than 2.8 million dollars.
The lot, consisting of a sword and five ornate pistols, was sold on 3 December at a telephone auction by the Rock Island Auction Company in Illinois to an unnamed buyer, said company president Kevin Hogan.
The lot had been estimated at between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.
"For 2.87 million dollars, the buyer of the weapons that belonged to Napoleon is taking home a very rare piece of history," Kevin Hogan said.
Napoleon Bonaparte's Emblematic Sword
The sheathed sword, the centerpiece of the collection, was created in the workshops of Versailles by gunsmith Nicolas-Noël Boutet and was "carried by Napoleon Bonaparte during the coup d'état of November 9, 1799," according to the Rock Island Auction Company, which presents itself as "the world's number one auction house for firearms, white weapons, and collectible military equipment."Historians believe the coup marked the official end of the French Revolution.
Crowned emperor on 2 December 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte presented his sword to General Jean-Andoche Junot. After his death, the weapon was in a museum in London and then in the possession of an American collector.
The auction house recalled that in 2007, "the sword carried by (First Consul Bonaparte) in the Battle of Marengo (against Austrian troops in June 1800 in Piedmont, Italy) was sold at auction for $6.5 million".
