The solid gold Imperial Order of the Star of Ethiopia used to be in the possession of Ras Desta Damtew, a son-in-law of Emperor Haile Selassie and a guerrilla army commander whose capture and execution in 1937 spelled the end of Ethiopia's resistance to fascist Italy's occupation.
Its whereabouts were unknown until last month, when it was offered for sale with a top estimate of €90,000 (£74,000) by the Swiss-registered company La Galerie Numismatique.
The listing did not hide the item's controversial provenance, describing the medal as coming "from the estate of an Italian soldier who was present at [Damtew's] capture".
This story is from the December 23, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the December 23, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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