PARIS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A bicorne hat worn by French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was sold at 350,000 euros (406,105 U.S. dollars) at an auction held in east-central town of Lyon on Monday, local media reported.
"This is a hat that is traditionally attributed to Napoleon. It was reportedly picked up after the defeat on the battlefield of Waterloo by a Dutch captain," said Etienne De Baecque, the auctioneer leading the sale.
"Since then, it had passed from generation to generation until the end of the last century, where it was sold to the current owner who is a collector (French) of historical objects," he was quoted as saying by local media.
The empreror's hat fetched 350,000 euros, nearly nine times the estimated price. It was sold with the box used for its display at the World Expo in Brussels in 1897. The buyer's identity was not unveiled.
In 2014, South Korean businessman Kim Hong-Kuk paid 1.8 million euros for a Napoleon's bicorne hat which was part of a prestigious collection auctioned off by Monaco's royal family.
