The Curta.org Bulletin Board

[dhiebert756]

I have discovered that there are a range of Type II Curtas which exhibit a discrepancy between the color of the collar containing the CURTA logo and the main body. Specifically, the collar appear brownish and the body appears grayish.

At the bottom of this post is a photo of an example, #528411, from my own collection.

I have discovered 4 other samples that exhibit this color discrepancy, ranging from #528050 through #529682, which spans roughly 1600 units. I have dubbed these "Two-tone Curtas" after the "two-tone paint" jobs on cars that began to be advertised in the 1950s.

The purpose of this post is to research this color discrepancy.

My theory is that the parts were painted before or after a change to the paint or paint process used during manufacture, with the collars and bodies of affected units having been painted on opposite sides of this change. I believe that the parts appeared to be the same color at the time of manufacture, but that, over time, the paint aged differently on the two sides of the change to the paint or paint process.

Based upon my own collection and photos that I have seen in eBay listings, I observe that units manufactured prior to #528000 tend to appear more grayish, and units after #530000 appear more brownish, as we see them today. If my observation is accurate, then I surmise that the bodies were painted using the old paint/process and the collars using the new paint/process.

In order to determine the full range of units affected, and whether all Curtas within that range are thus affected, I am soliciting responses to this post for serial numbers of Type II Curtas within and nearby the range #528050-529682 stating their serial number and whether or not they do or do not exhibit this color discrepancy, ideally with a photo showing it.

I appreciate your time and effort to support this research.

[murff]

These mixed shades of gray range from approximately #527900 to #529700 (based on non-public data).
I also once owned the #530877, which had the same gray tint.



Perhaps the two shades of gray were still identical in 1964 - Contina may have used a color from another manufacturer at some point.
This could explain why the colors aged differently.
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curta.li

[dhiebert756]