French auctioneers are disappointed (but the elites may not be). Having sold for 193,000 Euros in 2011 (but unable to be shipped to its Russian buyer due to export license issues) this 'slightly used' Second Empire guillotine failed to reach its minimum bid of 40,000 Euros in an auction today [4] in Nantes, France.
This guillotine was used during the Second Empire, not for common criminals, but for the military. It is marked "Army of the Republic" on top of the blade, an expression that refers to the Vendée wars, during the Revolution.
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Perhaps one glance at the glaring divergence in the following chart...
[6]
will raise the demand for guillotines once again.