A biggish piece of stairway from the Eiffel Tower goes under the hammer this month, expected to fetch between 15,000 and 20,000 euros (21,000 to 28,000 US dollars).
The 4.5 metre-high (15-foot) segment, which weighs in at a cool 700 kilos (1,540 lbs), is part of stairs climbed in pre-elevator times by Gustave Eiffel himself on March 31, 1889, to hoist the French flag at an altitude of 300 metres.
The entire staircase, cut in 24 pieces, was sold at auction in December 1983. One piece remains on show at the monument, three were offered to French museums, and the remainder were bought at the time for a total 280,000 euros. The auction will be held at Paris' Drouot auction house on November 19.