In December 2017, an unknown collector went to a military auction in Berlin. There, they bought an old two-cornered hat, thinking it was just a costume piece from the early 1900s, possibly made by a German costume designer named Leopold Verch.
But when the collector examined the hat more closely at home, they realized it was made from pure beaver felt — the same material used for high-quality hats in the early 1800s. They also noticed some old markings that made them suspect the hat might be much older and more important than it seemed.
Curious, the collector gave the hat to experts for testing. Inside the lining, the experts found five strands of hair. Lab tests showed that the DNA in the hair matched that of Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous French emperor and military leader.
This meant the hat might actually have belonged to Napoleon himself.
Today, the hat is on display in Hong Kong, and next month it will be auctioned in London. Because of the DNA evidence linking it to Napoleon, the hat could be sold for millions of dollars.
0 Comments