Section of Eiffel Tower spiral staircase sells for €450,000 at auction

The section of the Eiffel Tower's original 1889 spiral staircase fetched more than €450,000 at auction in Paris. AP - Michel Euler

A French collector has paid more than €450,000 for a 14-step segment of the Eiffel Tower staircase at an auction in Paris.

The buyer, who was in the auction room, purchased the 3-metre section of the Eiffel Tower staircase. It dates back to 1889, the year the monument that towers over central Paris was completed.