**How to Place an Obituary in the Pioneer Press**
To place an obituary, please follow the steps below and email your information to [email protected]. There is currently no option to place obituaries through our website.
If you have questions, contact our obituary desk at 651-228-5263.
—
### General Information Required
Please include the following in your email:
– **Your full name**
– **Address** (City, State, Zip Code)
– **Phone number**
– **Alternate phone number** (if any)
—
### Obituary Details
Be sure to provide:
– **Name of Deceased**
– **Obituary Text**
– **Photo**: JPEG or PDF files are preferred. TIF and other formats are accepted. We’ll contact you if there are any issues with the photo.
– **Ad Run Dates**: There is a discount for running the obituary for more than one day. To receive this discount, both days must be scheduled from the start, and the photo (if used) must be published for both days. Contact us for more information.
—
### Important Policies
#### Verification of Death
We require the **name and phone number** of the funeral home or cremation society handling arrangements. We must contact them during regular business hours to verify the death.
– If the body has been donated to the University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program, or a similar program, please provide their phone number for verification.
– Alternatively, a death certificate is also acceptable. Only one form of verification is necessary.
*Please allow sufficient time for verification, especially during weekends, as business hours may be limited.*
#### Guestbooks and External Websites
We cannot reference guestbooks or obituaries on other media sources when placing an obituary in print or online.
– Funeral home websites or a family contact email may be included instead.
– Contact us with questions about this policy.
—
### Obituary Submission Process
After you send your submission, we will fax or email a proof for your review before publication. This proof will include:
– The price
– Scheduled run dates
**Please review the proof carefully. We must be notified of any corrections before publication in the Pioneer Press, according to each day’s deadlines. We are not responsible for errors reported after final proofing and publication.**
#### Online Changes
Updates to an online obituary can be handled through the obituary desk. Call us with any questions.
—
### Payment Procedure
**Pre-payment is required** before publication, and must be completed by the stated deadline.
After you approve the proof, call 651-228-5263 with your payment information.
**Payment options:**
– **Credit Card:** Payment accepted by phone only due to PCI regulations.
– **EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer):** Check by phone (provide routing and account number).
—
### Rates
– **Minimum charge:** $162 for the first 12 lines.
– **Each additional line:** $12.
– Obituaries over 40 lines receive a 7.5% discount per line.
– **Two-day discount:** 20% off both run dates (must be scheduled together; photo must be used both days if applicable).
– **Three obituaries:** The third placement is free.
– **Photo fees:** $125 per photo per day.
*Example: 2 photos on 2 days = 4 photo charges ($500).*
—
### Deadlines
**Obituary deadline hours:**
Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Closed weekends and holidays)
**To ensure timely publication, please observe all deadline times.**
—
### Memoriam Notices
A Memoriam is a remembrance (not an obituary) of a loved one who has passed.
– **Rates for memoriam submissions differ from obituaries.**
– For more information, call 651-228-5280 or email [email protected].
– Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Closed weekends and holidays)
—
## Napoleon’s Lost Brooch Fetches Record Price at Geneva Auction
**GENEVA (AP)** – A diamond brooch once belonging to French Emperor Napoleon fetched over 3.5 million Swiss francs (about $4.4 million) at a Geneva auction Wednesday, according to Sotheby’s.
The brooch, which doubles as a pendant, features a central oval diamond over 13 carats, surrounded by smaller cut diamonds. The winning bid dramatically surpassed the pre-sale estimate high of 200,000 francs, reaching a hammer price of 2.85 million francs—excluding fees and extra charges that brought the final tally to over 3.5 million.
The jewel was originally part of Napoleon’s personal belongings, discovered in carriages delayed on muddy roads as he and his troops fled British and Prussian forces after the Battle of Waterloo, Sotheby’s said. For more than two centuries, the brooch remained among the heirlooms of the Prussian Royal House of Hohenzollern.
Sotheby’s did not disclose the identities of the seller or the buyer, only saying the purchaser is a “private collector.”
Other featured lots included a green beryl weighing over 132 carats, said to have been worn by Napoleon at his 1804 coronation. This gem sold for 838,000 francs, more than 17 times the pre-sale high estimate.
Diamond expert Tobias Kormind of 77 Diamonds noted the sale’s heightened allure in the wake of last month’s highly publicized theft of Napoleonic jewels from Paris’s Louvre museum. “Given the recent Louvre heist and the provenance of arguably the most famous French figure in history, I’m not surprised the jewel achieved a majestic 3.5 million francs,” Kormind said. “The brooch arrives at a moment of renewed global fascination with Napoleonic jewels, and its story is irresistible.”
Sotheby’s was also hosting a “high jewelry” auction later the same day, featuring the 10-carat pink diamond tentatively named the “Glowing Rose,” expected to fetch around $20 million. The stone was unearthed from Angola’s Lulo mine.
https://www.twincities.com/2025/11/12/napoleon-diamond-brooch-auction/