Piece of Iconic Landmark's Original Staircase Heads to Auction Next Month

A 14-step section of the Eiffel Tower's original spiral staircase is heading to auction in Paris next month, with bidders expected to need both deep pockets and high ceilings to take it home.

Artcurial's Art Deco department will offer the piece on May 21, 2026, in what the French auction house is calling a rare opportunity to own part of the world's most recognizable iron structure. The section, listed as Spiral Staircase No. 1, connected the second and third floors of the tower when it first opened in 1889 and is estimated to fetch between €120,000 and €150,000.

The staircase was built for the 1889 World's Fair under the supervision of engineer Gustave Eiffel. In 1983, the monument underwent a major overhaul to install new elevators, and the entire original staircase was dismantled. French officials chopped the 525-foot spiral staircase into 24 parts: one section was preserved on the Eiffel Tower's first floor, and three more were donated to French institutions, including the Musée d'Orsay and the Iron Museum in Jarville-la-Malgrange. The remaining 20 pieces were sold together at auction in Paris on December 1, 1983.

The anonymous seller has held the piece for more than four decades since that original 1983 sale. According to Artcurial specialist Sabrina Dolla, the owner is parting with it because "he's enjoyed it long enough" and "now his circumstances are taking him elsewhere." "It has never been outside and underwent a complete restoration for the sale," Dolla said.

The section carries a particularly notable provenance: it was lot number one in that historic 1983 sale, the very first piece to go under the hammer. Dolla noted the significance, saying, "One thing's for sure, it took some courage to be the first to make that purchase, knowing there were 19 others to follow!"

Past auctions at Artcurial suggest the estimate could prove conservative. The house has previously sold sections for €212,458 in 2013, a record-setting €523,800 in 2016, €162,500 in 2018, and €253,500 in 2020. The 2016 record, set by section 13, came after an intense bidding war and remains the highest price ever recorded for a piece of Eiffel Tower staircase. Dolla attributed that result to the fact that "a new Chinese collector wanted it at any cost."

The 20 sections sold in 1983 are now scattered across the globe. Some remain in France at the Musée d'Orsay and the Cité des Sciences, while others are on display at the Yoishii Foundation gardens in Yamanashi, Japan, and near the Statue of Liberty in New York.

The physical demands of housing Section No. 1 are considerable. Made of steel and riveted sheet metal, the piece stands 2.75 metres tall and comprises 14 steps. Dolla described it as something far beyond a trophy acquisition: "It's an immersive experience, a stationary journey through time and space. Imagine yourself in 1889 on this staircase, perched between 113 and 276 meters high, with no safety barriers, but with a 360-degree view.