Photography: Moonik
A section of the Eiffel Tower’s original spiral staircase has sold at auction in Paris for €169,000 – smashing its estimate.
The segment of 25 iron steps was expected to fetch between €40,000-€60,000 by auction house Artcurial but ended up going for almost three times the amount.
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Measuring 4.3m metres high, and weighing in at 900 kg, the section is one of 24 removed from the Gustav Eiffel-designed landmark in 1983 when lifts were installed between its top two floors.
The 129-year-old relic – owned by a Canadian collector – was displayed on the Champs-Élysées before the auction and has now been sold to an unnamed private collector in the Middle East.
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