When I was a boy, the ads in SciAm always caught my attention and I looked forward to being able to afford one. But then handheld electric calculators came along, and I bought a Commodore Minuteman 2 (4 functions and a constant!) in 1973 for $100 instead. All things considered, it was probably the smart choice from a purely utilitarian point of view, but...

Now, being of a certain age I'm waxing nostalgic and, after a career as a mathematician and software engineer, I've got a better appreciation for elegant mechanical things! I wanna Curta!

I don't care about the condition as long as it works. Being smaller, a Type 1 would be preferable, but it doesn't really matter. I learned to be fast on an abacus and a slide rule. I want to learn a Curta, too!

What I don't want is to spend $1000. I mean, this would clearly be a frivolous indulgence, so whatever I spend I can expect my loving wife to lift her eyes to the heavens, utter a couple "tsks", and then go out and spend a like amount on whatever she pleases.

So I'm hoping someone here can point me to a fondly-used (i.e. beat-up) Curta that's going cheap - say $300-ish? That might only evoke one "tsk"!

I think these are excellent. I'm an engineer & would use it (gently).
I don't care about cosmetic perfection, but it should work 100%
Anybody want theirs to go to a good home?

(I've replied to wolfson 'cause my want is about the same as his.)