Napoleon's Sword Sold at Auction for 4.7 Mn Euros

Napoleon's sword sold at auction for €4.7 million

A sword that belonged to Napoleon and was specially ordered for the personal use of the French emperor fetched almost 4.7 million euros at auction in Paris, many times the asking price and coming close to a new record price for a Napoleonic artifact, the auction house said. The piece, which Napoleon ordered in 1802 and kept throughout his reign, was sold for 4.66 million euros ($5.27 million) late Thursday, said the Drouot auctioneers, on whose …

Estimated between 700,000 and one million euros, a sword belonging to Napoleon was sold to the Drouot Hotel, which was the director of the Manufacture de Versailles, Nicolas-Noël Boutet, who had made it.

At an auction in Paris, a sabre commissioned by Napoleon (1769-1821) fetched 4.6 million euros. The auction house estimated that the weapon would fetch between 700,000 and 1 million euros. Napoleon ordered the ivory-inlaid artwork in 1802 or 1803 from Nicolas-Noël Boutet, one of the best armorers of his time. He only parted with it at the end of his career as emperor, in 1815. He gave it to his confidant Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy. The weapon h…

Napoleon's last sword has gone under the hammer at an auction in Paris. The final price was considerably higher than expected.

Napoleon's last sword has gone under the hammer at an auction in Paris. The final price was considerably higher than expected.

Napoleon commissioned the sword for himself in 1802, and it remained in his possession throughout his reign.