For Sale: A Piece of the Eiffel Tower

It’s not every day that a chunk of one of the world’s most famous monuments goes on sale. But on November 27, Paris auction house Artcurial will be selling off a 24-step piece of original staircase from the Eiffel Tower, removed in 1983 to help lighten the structure while installing a new elevator between its second and top floors. For now, the giant corkscrew of metal sits on display in Artcurial’s courtyard, drumming up interest for the sale.

Admittedly, it’s not the most visually striking thing, though clearly Gustave Eiffel knew a good staircase when he saw one. The remnant, offered with a starting price of €40,000, could still go for a very high sum. In 2016, a collector bought a section of the staircase for over $550,000—and that was for a piffling 14-step segment.