FRANCE, Second Empire. Napoléon III. 1852-1870. Satrical Æ Medallet (32mm, 9.22 g, 6h). Napoléon’s Humiliation at Sedan. Dually dated 2 December 1851 and 2 September 1870. EF.

Electronic Auction 566
Lot: 898.
Closing Date: Jul 17 2024 10:00 ET

World Medals, Bronze

Estimate: $ 100

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FRANCE, Second Empire. Napoléon III. 1852-1870. Satrical Æ Medallet (32mm, 9.22 g, 6h). Napoléon’s Humiliation at Sedan. Dually dated 2 December 1851 and 2 September 1870. NAPOLEON II LE PETIT/ * N’AYANT PAS LE COURAGE DE MOURIR A LAE TÈTE DE MON ARMÉES, JE DEMANDE UNE CACHETTE AU ROI DE PRUSSE, head left, wearing Prussian pickelhaube / · VAMPIRE DE LA FRANCE · PARIS 2 DEC 1851 – SEDAN 2 SEPT 1870, owl standing facing on thunderbolt, wings spread. Collignon, Guerre 38. Red-brown surfaces. EF.

Ex J. Eric Engstrom Collection (Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 503, 3 November 2021), lot 643.

Elected by a popular vote in 1848, Napoléon III was the nephew and heir of Napoléon I, and initiated a coup d’état three years later, eventually proclaiming himself as the Emperor of the French. During his reign, he attempted to restore France’s position as a world power following the limitations imposed from the Napoleonic Wars. Tensions with the neighboring German states led to war after a Hohenzollern candidature for the vacant Spanish throne. This ensuing conflict exposed Napoléon’s poor tactical skills, and he was captured at the Battle of Sedan in 1870. Two days later, he and his government were deposed, replaced by the newly-formed Third Republic. The German states’ successes in the war led to the birth of the German Empire and a foreshadowing of future regional conflicts.

Closing Date and Time: 17 July 2024 at 14:59:00 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.