Napoleon and The Duke

Ah ha.
I have always been able to scan a 10,000 square foot antique market and find the one or two Napoleon related items that they have somewhere in a cabinet or on a shelf.
I hate to ask for assistance. It takes away from the "hunt."
Napoleon is not easy to collect for two reasons.
1. Many people collect Napoleonic memorabilia so items are scarce.
2. When they have a Napoleon related item, it is pricey.
Take for example the stunning 9 volume set I spied at a used book store this week. It had the most amazing hand painted picture of Napoleon's son in the ninth volume.
$800. The books remained on the shelf, but I will probably go back to visit them again soon. They won't sell quickly at that price.
On a more economical front are these two little Limoges ashtrays I found. I spotted the Big Head...sorry the Duke first. I spent so much time staring at his image this summer that I can now spot him a ways off too.
After seeing him, I noticed the matching Napoleon off to the side in a glass cabinet.
The booth vendor had a 25% off sale going. Score!
Since bringing these home I have thought a bit about the concept of an image on an ashtray.
How could you put a cigarette out on the Emperor?

The Manuscript Page Sale

PARIS - A single manuscript page from a love story written by Napoleon Bonaparte sold at auction in France on Sunday for $35,400, an auction house said.The item up for sale was the first page of the final draft of Napoleon's 1795 short novel "Clisson and Eugenie," said the Osenat auction house, based in Fontainebleau outside Paris. The page had been part of a private French family collection. The identity of the buyer was not disclosed.

All I am wondering is why the secrecy?

Why wouldn't you want to admit you owned the document?

Perhaps because the story is supposed to be based on the short romance between Napoleon and Desiree Clary, his borther's sister in law.

Is Desiree's family embarassed?