A historic 14-step section of a staircase once belonging to Paris’s world-famous Eiffel Tower has been sold for 450,160 euros, approximately 16 million Turkish lira, at an auction held by Artcurial auction house in the French capital.
The rust-colored piece, measuring 2.75 meters in height, was part of the original spiral staircase that connected the second and third floors of the tower when it opened in 1889. The section was removed during restoration works and the installation of elevators in 1983.
After the dismantling of the massive staircase, which originally consisted of 1,665 steps, the structure was divided into 24 sections. While most of these pieces were distributed among prestigious collections around the world, only a small number remained in France.
Sale Price Exceeded Expectations
The staircase section, which had been kept in a private collection for nearly 40 years and rarely appeared on the market, was initially estimated to sell for between 120,000 and 150,000 euros.
However, after attracting strong interest at the auction, the final sale price far exceeded expectations, rising above 450,000 euros.
A similar staircase section offered for sale by Sotheby’s in 2016 was sold for 523,800 euros, setting another record at the time.
Other historic pieces from the Eiffel Tower are currently displayed near the Statue of Liberty in New York, in the gardens of the Yoishii Foundation in Japan, and in some of the world’s most prestigious open-air venues and private collections, including Disneyland.
With this latest sale, the new owner has joined a narrow and distinguished circle of collectors who hold a piece of the “Iron Lady’s” legacy.
