Napoleon's iconic Waterloo hat sold for $325,000 at an auction in France on Monday, Fox News reported. The two-pointed hat, referred to as a bicorn, was worn by the former French emperor during the bloody battle fought on June 18, 1815.
Though rare, the battle cap had a rather limited purpose. Napoleon is thought to have owned 120 similar hats during his reign, with 19 still in existence today. Each hat had a three-year lifespan.
Thousands of soldiers died in the Battle of Waterloo, which signaled the end of Napoleon's reign after his troops were defeated by the British and Prussians, The History Channel reported.
The hat was recovered after the battle by Dutch captain Baron Arnout Jacques van Zuijlen van Nijevelt and came into the possession of a private individual in 1986, the BBC News reported.
In 2014 another of Napoleon’s famous bicorn hats collected $2.4 million at an auction of Napoleon-era items from the collection of the Prince of Monaco.
The bicorn hat was a Napoleon staple, and he wore it sideways as a way to distinguish himself on the battlefield.
"Everybody at the time wore that kind of hat one way, but Napoleon wore it the other way so that everybody would recognize his silhouette on the battlefield," said an auction house official, according to CNBC.
Auctioneer Etienne De Baecque noted there were smaller details that also made the manner in which Napoleon wore his hats unique.
"He hated the trimming and always had it removed," said De Baecque, according to BBC.
"He requested reinforcements at certain points where he always held it."
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