The Curta.org Bulletin Board

[david f]

I've been actively engaging with eBay sellers recently going through the paces and asking questions. I even found some that needed elimination because of problems that were discovered during communication with prospective sellers. I just had narrowed down to two different examples and bought one. The other one was properly tested and functional and I just wanted to pass it along to anyone who is looking for a Curta or specifically a Type I.

Here is the eBay link to the sale page
https://www.ebay.com/itm/326953041790
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David Friedlander

[murff]

Thanks for the tip - I took the liberty of examining the offer more closely:

- It is a very late version of the Curta Type 1 (November 1969)
- The visual condition is "used"
- It has an ugly stain (without knowing if it can be removed)
- It is very likely to be in working order mechanically (there is still uncertainty if you are not on site)

The price range for this offer is US$ 800.00 to US$ 900.00 - so it is an inflated offer.

My recommendation: don't buy it!



And the other seller (https://www.ebay.com/itm/317507143806) has not updated the description, even though the Curta is demonstrably defective... When I asked, he didn't know what I was talking about...
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:: m u r f f
:: curta.li

[david f]

The "stain" you refer to appears to be an improperly (incompletely) removed older label. I think that could be addressed and removed with a little care. I actually decided not to purchase that one because the numbers in the results register did show a little dirt on them. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't as nice as the one I did buy.

That other one you helpfully informed me that was ruined by the counterclockwise turns and broken, had another little turn to the story. Before I asked the Bulletin Board about what I'd seen with his video, I mentioned to him that he should absolutely NOT turn the handle in that direction. Not knowing yet if that ruined it, I asked him to test the computations in the manuals he owns(!) and get back to me if it still computed correctly. He never did write back.

I have to say that I was actually distressed that he'd ruined a Curta that appeared to be nearly pristine and that he appeared to be generally clueless.

There was another story in my searching just for the record. I actually bought a type I a few weeks back and one of the sliders wasn't consistently registering properly. It would give other values in the R.R. at times which I didn't want to deal with. It was a "no return" eBay item, but I convinced the seller to take it back. I had stipulated before buying that repairs were something I wanted to avoid. Since it "wasn't as described" he finally agreed to take it back for a full refund. I got lucky there, but it was a small education nevertheless.

As before, thank you for being so engaged and helpful! I appreciate and enjoy it.
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David Friedlander

[Pete42]

Even if the "stain" can be removed, the machine is a very late Type 1 of which there are comparatively many in very good condition (the machines produced in the late 60's and the early 70's were often used for a very short time, if at all) - better than the one in the auction anyway.

Given the fact that these machines usually sell around 800 EUR in Europe, the price of 1800 $ seems absurd. Last year I bought #7091 for less than that, in nearly mint condition.