(19 Nov 2007) SHOTLIST
1. Various of Eiffel Tower staircase section
2. Close up of original tag reading: 'Eiffel Tower Original Stairway 1889'
3. Cutaway of auctioneer Remi Ader on stairway
4. SOUNDBITE: (French) Remi Ader, Auctioneer:
"And here is one of the twenty pieces that were taken apart in 1983, that was sold at the first auction. The staircase was cut in twenty elements - all the staircase measuring 150 metres (492 feet), which connected the second level of the Eiffel Tower to the third and we auctioned it in 1983. Today, one of those, number 14 is back on the market and will be auctioned."
5. Zoom out from piece of paper showing sign to staircase
6. Various close ups of staircase
7. Cutaway of Ader on stairway
8. SOUNDBITE: (French) Remi Ader, Auctioneer:
"It is of course hard to estimate how much it will go for. I said 20 to 30-thousand euros but that's in theory because at that price I know that five, ten perhaps twenty people who are interested. That is where the auction will begin. After that, it's hard to tell. We are a bit worried about it but mostly it will be a very pleasurable sell."
9. Cutaway of tourist taking picture
10. SOUNDBITE: (French) tourist, no name given, Vox pop:
"When you know it was used to climb on top of the Eiffel Tower, that is something really historical."
11. Mid of staircase
12. Cutaway of onlookers
13. SOUNDBITE: (French) tourist, no name given, Vox pop:"
It's interesting and it's also very pretty. It would be funny to have that at home. I am not sure who would be interested, a museum perhaps."
14. SOUNDBITE: (French) tourist, no name given, Voxpop:
"It's amazing because it's the Eiffel Tower, it's Paris, it's France, in my opinion."
15. Tilt up of staircase
STORYLINE
Every souvenir shop in Paris sells miniature Eiffel Towers, but on Monday, one lucky bidder will be able to buy a piece of the real thing.
A section of the winding iron staircase that Gustave Eiffel climbed to inaugurate the monument in 1889 will be sold at the Hotel Drouot auction house on Monday.
In 1983, the 1,911-step staircase was removed to make room for new elevators and was cut into 24 pieces that were auctioned off to museums and collectors around the world.
The 4.5-meter (14.7-foot) piece for sale once helped link the monument's second and third levels and may be the last piece available to the public,
"The staircase was cut in twenty elements - all the staircase measuring 150 metres, which connected the second level of the Eiffel Tower to the third and we auctioned it in 1983. Today, one of those, number 14 is back on the market and will be auctioned." auctioneer Remi Ader said.
Ader said he expected it to sell for anything between 20 to 30-thousand euros.
"It is of course hard to estimate how much it will go for. I said 20 to 30-thousand euros (29-thousand and 44-thousand US dollars) but that's in theory because at that price I know that five, ten perhaps twenty people who are interested. That is where the auction will begin. After that, it's hard to tell."
The 312-meter (1024-foot) Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair in Paris that celebrated the centennial of the French Revolution.
About 6 million people visit the landmark every year.

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