Piece of Eiffel Tower heads to auction in Paris

The sale, organized by Artcurial, will feature a segment of the staircase built in 1889 under the supervision of engineer Gustave Eiffel. The structure once connected the tower’s second and third levels and is estimated to sell for €120,000 to €150,000.

The steel structure stands 2.75 meters high, with a diameter of 1.75 meters. Made of riveted sheet metal, it includes 14 steps mounted on a cross-shaped base and originally formed part of the spiral staircase that allowed visitors to climb toward the top of the tower.

The staircase was constructed for the Exposition Universelle of 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was unveiled as the centerpiece of the international fair. In 1983, during modernization work to install new elevators, the original staircase was dismantled.

Later that year, on December 1, 1983, twenty sections of the staircase were auctioned directly from the tower in a historic sale. The piece now offered by Artcurial corresponds to lot number one from that auction.

The section has remained in the same private collection for more than 40 years and was restored by workshops responsible for maintaining the Eiffel Tower, preserving its original structure and features.

Only a few of the 20 sections sold in 1983 remain in France. Others have entered major private collections or are displayed at sites around the world, including a garden at the Yoishii Foundation in Japan, near the Statue of Liberty in New York, and at Disneyland Park.

Previous auctions of similar staircase sections have drawn strong interest from collectors. A segment sold for €212,458 in 2013, while another reached €523,800 in 2016. More recent sales include €162,500 in 2018 and €253,500 in 2020.

The upcoming lot will be presented during Artcurial’s Art Deco and Design auction in Paris. Viewing will be available by appointment only.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that a rare Pokemon card fetched a record $16,492,000 including the buyer's premium on Monday in New Jersey.