The two items were among the personal articles from the family of Franz Josef I, Austria's last emperor, that went under the hammer yesterday at a prestigious Vienna auction house.
Also on offer were a lock of his hair as a child, two cigars from the imperial humidor and Empress Elisabeth ermine hand-warmer.
The winning bid for the riding hat outdid expectations. Not so for Franz Josef's monogrammed tighty-whities. They went for their estimated value, 2,500 euros (about USD 3,500).