Napoleon's Personal Copy of the Civil Code Sells for €395,000 at Paris Auction, Tripling Pre-Sale Estimates

A personal copy of the Civil Code that belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte fetched €395,000 at auction in Paris, exceeding its pre-sale estimate of €100,000 to €200,000. The volume, printed on vellum paper and bearing the mark of the First Consul, is the only known copy in private hands. It had remained within the same family since the fall of the Empire, passed down from Étienne Charvet, a loyal servant of Napoleon who was the caretaker of the Château de Saint-Cloud. Napoleon left the volume behind when he was exiled to Elba in 1814. A letter from Charvet's son, verifying the book's authenticity, was sold with the volume. The auction house Tajan noted the exceptional interest in the item, which sparked a bidding war among collectors and history enthusiasts, ultimately selling to a French buyer.