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The rusty iron key to the room where the exiled French emperor was imprisoned sold for more than 16 times the original 3-5 thousand. pound price.
11 potential buyers vied for the key, the auction house said.
Napoleon I died in 1821 in the remote Atlantic of St. On the island of Helena, to which the British were deported, when they fled the island of Elba off the coast of Italy.
S t. In Helena, Napoleon was imprisoned at Longwood House.
The 13 cm long key was transported to Great Britain by Charles Richard Fox, an army general and politician who visited St. On the island of Helena, when Napoleon’s remains were still there.
The key is believed to have been a gift to Ch.R.’s mother. Fox, who greatly admired the French emperor, the auction organizers said.
The key was placed in an envelope in which Ch.R. Fox had written: “The key to the room of St. On the island of Helena, where Napoleon died and which I took from the door lock in 1822.” Along with the key on the envelope, Ch.R. Fox indicated exact date: September 6.
The key was found by the descendants of Ch.R. Fox in a chest in Scotland, Sotheby’s spokesman David MacDonald said when the next competition was announced.
“The family that had it always knew it was somewhere, but it was hidden,” MacDonald said.
According to him, this key stands out among other Napoleon-related items that are often sold at auctions.
“We constantly see articles, important paintings or furniture related to Napoleon from one of his wonderful houses,” said Mac Donald.
“But this key is something extraordinary, especially considering it is from the room where he died,” said a Sotheby’s spokesman.
“It is something transcendent … It was as special then as it is now,” added Mac Donald.
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