Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor, once tried to shoot himself with two pistols that he owned; they are currently being sold for €1.69 million (GH₵ 28.2).
The guns, designed by Louis-Marin Gosset, a gunmaker in Paris, are likely to sell for between €1.2 million and €1.5 million.
On Sunday, they were put up for auction at the Osenat auction house, which is located near to the Fontainebleau mansion, the site of Napoleon’s attempted suicide after his abdication in 1814.
France’s culture ministry classified Napoleon’s pistols as national treasures, banning their export. This gives the French government 30 months to make an offer to the unnamed new owner. The pistols can only leave France temporarily. Inlaid with gold and silver, they feature an engraving of Napoleon. He intended to use them to kill himself on April 12, 1814, after his defeat, but his grand squire removed the powder. Napoleon then took poison but survived and later gave the pistols to his grand squire, who passed them down to his descendants.
The original box for the pistols as well as a number of extras, such as a powder horn and several powder tamping rods, were also included.
The “image of Napoleon at his lowest point,” according to auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat, is being sold with the items.
Napoleonic memorabilia is in great demand. In November, one of the tricorne hats that became associated with his name sold for €1.9 million.
After being banished to the Mediterranean island of Elba, the legendary leader came back to power in 1815, but he was ultimately destroyed in the Battle of Waterloo.
Following his second exile, to the South Atlantic island of St. Helena, he passed away in 1821.
Read Also: “Home Alone” Movie House Being Auctioned For $5.25m
