A lock of hair from French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte has been sold at auction for over $13,000.

The hair, cut from his head after he died in exile in 1821 on the Atlantic island of St Helena, was bought by an unnamed London collector.

Bidders vied for about 40 items of Napoleon memorabilia that sold for almost $100,000.

The items belonged to descendants of a British officer stationed on St Helena.

Denzil Ibbetson served during Napoleon’s imprisonment on the remote island, a British colony, from 1815 to 1821.

Mr Ibbetson’s collection was brought to New Zealand in 1864 by his son and remained in the family, stored in a suitcase, until the sale.

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A flag that accompanied General Custer and the 7th Calvary into battle at Little Bighorn is set to hit the auction block.

Custer led more than 200 other other soldiers into battle against thousands of Lakota and Northern Cheyenne warriors on June 25, 1876, at the Little Bighorn River in what is now Montana. None of the U.S. soldiers survived the battle.

The flag that will be sold in October is tattered and fragile, measures 27½ by 33 inches and may be stained with blood. It was found three days after the Battle of Little Bighorn — or the Battle of Greasy Grass Creek, as the victors called it — beneath the body of one of Custer’s men killed in the battle.

Sgt. Ferdinand Culbertson, a member of the burial detail assigned to retrieve the remains of the 7th Cavalry, found the Cavalry guidon, or swallow-tail flag, that was used by cavalry companies. The design reduced wind drag as the soldiers advanced.

“It’s not a piece of decoration,” said Sotheby’s vice chairman, David Redden. “It’s a sacred relic. People died for this flag. This flag is really important as it symbolizes one of the great and mythological battles in American history.”

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An auction house in Germany is putting up on the block a collection of 500 documents from the prison which held Adolf Hitler in 1924. [Thanks Frank!]

The papers were discovered by a Nuremberg man among the possessions of his late father.
Hitler spent nine months in prison after an abortive coup attempt known as the Munich beer hall putsch.
Among the documents is a letter from Hitler to a Mercedes dealer asking for a discount on a 40-horsepower 11/40 model.

The future Nazi leader, who brought Germany to defeat and ruin in World War II, explains that his book, Mein Kampf, is not yet finished and he is unsure how much money it will make.
“I am forced to obtain an advance or loan from somewhere. So a few thousand marks makes a big difference,” he writes.

The auction house, Werner Behringer, says the bulk of the documents are official prison cards listing visitors, including more than 30 people who celebrated his birthday on 20 April.

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A feather belonging to the extinct huia bird has sold for nearly $6,000, making it the most expensive feather in the world.

The huia bird is thought to be extinct and has not been seen since 1907.

The feather went under the hammer at Webb’s Auction House in Auckland.

Neil Campbell, the managing director of Webb’s, said that the auction room had been “spellbound” as the bidding mounted.

“Starting in $100 increments, that quickly leapt into the thousands and came to rest at a world record price (for a single feather) of $8400 ($6,787)”

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One of Britain’s rarest stamps has sold for just over $580,000 at auction.

The 1904 6d Pale Dull Purple (I.R. Official) was sold to an anonymous private buyer by Stanley Gibbons Investment.

The stamp was issued on 14 March 1904, but was withdrawn almost immediately after issue.

Only 19 sheets were ever printed and on withdrawal, almost all were destroyed.

Director of Stanley Gibbons Investment, Keith Heddle, said: “The 6d I.R. Official is one of the most sought-after stamps in the world.

“Understandably our client is thrilled to own such a unique and coveted piece.”

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