France: Part of Eiffel Tower sold at auction for €450,000
· DWA French collector bought a 14-step staircase section of the Eiffel Tower at an auction in Paris.
A section of the original spiral staircase from the Eiffel Tower was sold at auction by Artcurial in Paris for around €450,000 ($523,000) on Thursday.
A French collector purchased the nearly three-meter-high (about 9-foot-high) section of the Eiffel Tower staircase that dates back to 1889. The staircase consists of 14 steps and weighs 1.4 tons. It had previously been valued at between €120,000 and €150,000.
The steps were part of a spiral staircase connecting the second and third floors of the Parisian landmark. In 1983, when an elevator was installed, the staircase was dismantled into 24 pieces of varying sizes.
These sections became coveted collector's items and are now located all over the world. Some are at the Statue of Liberty in New York, while others are in the gardens of the Yoishii Foundation in Japan. Others remain in private collections.
In 2016, Artcurial auctioned another 14-step section of the staircase to an Asian buyer for about €524,000. Previously, in 2008, a US collector paid the record price of €553,000 for a section of the staircase.
Paris Olympics boosted Eiffel Tower appeal
"When you buy a piece of the Eiffel Tower, you're buying a piece of Paris, along with all the imagination and symbolism it represents," said Sabrina Dolla, Art Deco design director at Artcurial Paris.
Dolla said the Paris 2024 Olympics boosted the Eiffel Tower's appeal among collectors. During the Olympics, the tower and other landmarks, including Place de la Concorde and the Grand Palais, took center stage.
"We're definitely seeing renewed interest in what it symbolizes and its aesthetic appeal," she added.
Engineer Gustave Eiffel created the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 Paris World's Fair. It is now one of the world's top tourist attractions. This 324-meter-tall structure is the most visited attraction in France.
Edited by: Sean Sinico