FRANCE, Second Empire. Napoléon III. 1852-1870. Satirical Æ Medallet (32mm, 11.57 g, 6h). Napoléon’s Humiliation at Sedan. Dually dated 2 September and 2 December 1870.

Electronic Auction 471
Lot: 576. Estimated: $ 100

World Medals, Bronze

Sold For $ 120. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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FRANCE, Second Empire. Napoléon III. 1852-1870. Satirical Æ Medallet (32mm, 11.57 g, 6h). Napoléon’s Humiliation at Sedan. Dually dated 2 September and 2 December 1870. NAPOLEON III LE MISERABLE 2 DECEMBRE, bust left, wearing German pickelhaube / VAMPIRE DE LA FRANCE SEDAN 2 SEP^BRE 1870, owl standing facing, wings spread, on thunderbolt. Collignon 34. Brown surfaces. EF.

From the David J. Fleischmann Collection.

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: 1 July 2020 at 13:11:40 ET.

All winning bids are subject to an 18% buyer’s fee.