Hat Worn by Napoleon Sold for $2.1 Million at Auction

PARIS—A faded and cracked felt bicorne hat worn by Napoléon Bonaparte sold for $2.1 million at an auction Sunday of the French emperor’s belongings. Yes, $2.1 million. The signature broad, black hat—one of a handful still in existence that Napoléon wore when he ruled 19th-century France and waged war in Europe—was initially valued at 600,000 to 800,000 euros ($650,000–870,000). It was the centerpiece of Sunday’s auction in Fontainebleau of memorabilia collected by a French industrialist who died last year. But the bidding quickly jumped higher and higher until Jean Pierre Osenat, president of the Osenat auction house, designated the winner....