The Curta.org Bulletin Board

[climber]

Hi
I have a type 2 that I am wanting to sell. I know very little about them, but it seems to me to be in mint condition. It comes with a slightly tatty box and 2 instruction booklets. What is the best way to sell this? I have seen them on Ebay and was wiondering if this is a good place to sell it and if so what information should I include? Also, how much are these things worth? Thanks

[Peter Johnson]

I thought that others more qualified than I might have answered you by now, but as they haven't, I'll chip in with my 10 penn'orth.

As far as condition is concerned, there is a guide online by Jack Christensen, an expert and forum mod:

http://curta.org/wiki/CurtaRating

Basic functioning, apart from all the parts sliding and rotating as they should, can be checked by:

http://curta.org/wiki/CurtaTesting

You could sell on this site, which should guarantee a good home, or on eBay, which gives you the biggest market. If you monitor sales on eBay for a few weeks you will get an idea of value, which will depend upon age (very early or very late serial number), condition and any unusual features.

As a minimum your description should list the colour (black or grey), plastic or metal crank, ditto for clearing ring, serial number, metal or plastic case, the condition of machine and case as per above. Any other items such as box, manuals (give titles) and sales invoice should be given.

Photos (preferably in focus!) are essential. Include the top, side and most of all the base, so that people can see the serial number and the layout of the text, as this changed with time. Photos of the case, box etc do no harm, either.

Well, that's a start, anyway.
_________________
PeteJ