Expert: Paul Wagner - 3/2/2008

Question
I acquired a very old bottle of Napoleon Cognac Courvoisier. Stamped on front of bottle is Nombre Limite No. LX 2958.Red tax stamp on top says FLA-I- 444.Also states it is by appointment to His Late Majesty King George. Courvoisier Limited Jarnac. Any ideas of its age or value??

Answer
Hi Laurie

This almost certainly dates from the early 1950;s just after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952.  Unlike some fine wines, distilled spirits like this do not change much in the bottle, for better or for worse, because the alcohol levels are so high.  The good news is that this should be perfectly good to drink.  The bad news is that it doesn't taste much different from a current bottling.  As a result, connoisseurs wouldn't pay much more for this bottle.  I would estimate the value of these bottles at around $75-100 at a wine and spirits auction.  

Please note that it is illegal for private individuals to sell alcoholic beverages in the USA, so you would have to work through a retailer or auction house, who would take their commission.

But this is an interesing bottle in itself, and these bottles are sometimes quite collectible, so you might find more interest (and higher prices) among bottle collectors.  Go to antiquebottles.com and see if anyone there has more interest...they are good people with a lot of good information.

Hope that helps

Paul Wagner