8.5 feet high and made up of 14 steps, this section of the Eiffel Tower’s original helical staircase dates from 1889 and connects the second to the third floor. It was presented at Artcurial on December 1 with an estimate of €30,000-40,000 ($36,000-48,500). Unsurprisingly, the object stirred strong interest among collectors and, after a fierce auction battle by telephone, went for €274,475 including fees ($332,784).
This isn’t the first time that a section of the staircase of the Iron Lady has appeared at auction. In fact, there are 24 pieces in the world, one of which is kept on the first floor of the monument and three in the Musée d'Orsay, de la Villette and the Musée du Fer in Nancy. The others were dispersed in international collections during a sale held on December 1, 1983 and regularly reappear on the market. The only two remaining in France were acquired by Guy Béart, who sold them in 2015.
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These iconic architectural pieces, measuring between 6.5 and 30 feet high, come from the dismantling of a staircase, which was undertaken in 1983 for the benefit of installing a lift between the top two floors of the tower.
Artcurial seems to specialize in the sale of these historic pieces: this is the fourth time that the French auction house has presented one. In 2013, an original section 11 feet high was sold for €220,000. In 2016, section 13 increased its estimate tenfold and pushed the sale up to half a million, coming in at €523,800. In 2018, section 4 took off for a price of €176,150. The one presented last week is therefore the second most expensive section to be sold by Artcurial.