The Curta.org Bulletin Board

[murff]

Strange Curta demonstration box on offer at eBay...









- Standard demo sets came with a cut model in a green box
- The curta is not cut-up as usual by Contina
- There is no serial on the bottom plate
- The demonstration parts are not as represantive as in the green box
- Other known demontration model around number "37480" is the (close) 37262 green box - why they should produce two different demo boxes?


Looks self-made... What do you think?
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:: m u r f f
:: curta.li

[Pete]

Ouch, I could make one like that! Buy one or two beat-up machines, do the cutting and the disassembly, BINGO.

I do hope no collector is taken in by this homemade impostor. Thanks for posting this, Murff.

EDIT: The seller apparently sells quite a few Curtas - interestingly, his page says he sold #500550, which has been in MY collection for several years now.
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Cheers, Pete

[murff]

This one?


http://curta.com.ar/curta/code/type_and_age_of_your_curta.php?SerialNumber=500550&enviar=Compute
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:: m u r f f
:: curta.li

[Pete]

Yes, that one. If you remember, you helped me purchase an excellent-condition black Type II from a European seller (thanks!) which is in my display rather than 500550...but I also have 500406, which is the one that came in that weird factory prototype case. That makes 3 black Type IIs, two of which are pretty early <sigh>. Ah well, I think Vincent has more, I'm not the only crazy Canuck collector out there!
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Cheers, Pete

[Vincent]

I actually have 6 all black type II. The latest addition to my collection is very special to me : my father gave it to me last Christmas, and it was in turn given to him by my grandfather who used to sell and repair business equipment in North of France. He had been trained in repairing Curtas and this one was offered to him by a customer after he repaired it. I started collecting Curta unaware that my own grandfather sold and repaired these beauties back when I was only a kid.

I also added a Cut model and another early type I (#3635) to my collection since January 2012 but I stopped buying Curtas a while ago. I have over 20 now... Considering selling a few in 2013 !

-22 in Montreal this morning. Winter is definitely coming
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Vincent

[Pete]

Wow, your grandfather used to repair these things and you have the biggest collection in Canada, what a crazy coincidence. Are you sure there aren't any little gears and springs in your DNA? And which way does your head screw on, clockwise like the early models? Just kidding!

I haven't bought any since I nabbed #2029 from a Czech seller last year (virtually unused condition, mushroom cap model inc all caps, clockwise can threads, extra engraving on can, can feels blacked rather than painted, all lettering clean and bright, very very nice machine) which I think may be one of the earliest ones out there. I'm very happy to have it anyway.
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Cheers, Pete