A hat belonging to the French military leader and statesman Napoleon Bonaparte was recently bought at an auction for over USD 400,000. The military hat was dropped on the battlefield at Waterloo 203 years ago. The auction was held in the central French city of Lyon. The buyer whose identity was not made public is a private collector from Europe. The hat is one of Napoleon's about 120 two-cornered military dress hats which he wore during his rule between 1799 and 1815.

He was the first consul and then emperor, minus a period of exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba. According to historians, there are only 19 remaining hats of which most are in the museum. In 2014, a South Korean founder and chairman of the Harim food conglomerate bought one of the hats for more than USD 2 million which was about five times the asking price.

Etienne de Baecque, the auctioneer leading the sale on the anniversary of the famed battle, told FRANCE 24, "It is a rather simple hat, in felt, like all of Napoleon's hats. We can see the traces of time and use. There are some traits like the fact that Napoleon couldn't stand the interior band which is always removed. This hat has tiny defects. There are cracks – so it's not in the as good condition as the last hat sold."

While it is widely believed that Napolean wore the hat during his 15 years power, there is no proof that it belonged to it. He wore the distinctive "bicorne" hat sideways so that he could be easily spotted on the battlefield. Most of the hats were made by the French hatmakers Poupard in black felted beaver. There are only a few confirmed examples left. Last year a gold laurel leaf from the crown made for Napoleon's coronation in 1804, weighing just 10 grams, was sold for more than USD 7,00,000.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 20, 2018 11:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).