It’s not a stairway to the stars, or to anything at all, but a 14-step section of an 1889 circular staircase from the Eiffel Tower sold last week at auction for £523,800 to an Asian buyer.
The steps were removed in 1983 to make room for an elevator from the 2nd to the 3rd level; the removed sections have been sold at auction over the years. This section was estimated to go for about €40,000 but the bidding quickly drove it up.
At TravelGumbo, we’re not surprised: When another piece was on sale 3 years ago, Gumbo Guru Travel Rob said “A 15-step section of the Eiffel Tower’s original spiral staircase goes on sale on Monday in Paris. I’m thinking they are underestimating the expected sale price of $27,000 to $40,000.”
