Pieces of old Paris up for sale

Stairs from the Eiffel Tower, street lamps from the Champs Elysees and a telephone cabin from the 1950s are among emblematic pieces of Paris up for auction on December 14.

"To celebrate the Eiffel Tower's 120 years" and "pay homage to Paris", some 350 items will be up for grabs at the Paris Mon Amour (Paris My Love) sale, said auctioneer Christophe Lucien.

A 40-step piece of staircase from the Eiffel Tower is estimated at between €60,000 and €80,000 with street lamps from the Champs Elysees boulevard at between €1,500 and €2,000 and the oak public phone box at €1,000.

Also up for grabs are old rubbish bins, street benches and even a Paris metro ticket-puncher from the days when an inspector manually punched tickets for travellers on the underground system.

Tourist maps of Paris from the 18th century, ancient prints, records and books too are being auctioned.