The Curta.org Bulletin Board

[Pete]

Given what's going on on a famous auction site right now, it's apparently more profitable to disassemble your machine and sell its parts individually than it is to sell it as a functioning unit.

Just sayin'.
_________________
Cheers, Pete

[Jack]

You mean these parts?





The fellow (Pete Kinsella from New Zealand) selling these parts has been doing so for the last 4 1/2 years. He places a group of ads on eBay every year or so.

Here's the inventory he had as of May 2006. All items are for the Type I.

1 Metal cannister white o-ring
2 Crank knob pins for metal crank
1 Setting shaft complete
1 Setting shaft retaining plate
6 C-clips with eyelets for carriage pressure spring
2 Old style c-clips without eyelets for carriage pressure spring
5 Carriage pressure spring
1 Carriage pressure spring washer
12 Spider springs (all appear slightly bent, but usable)
1 Double gear carriage numeral digit
1 Single gear carriage numeral digit
2 Zero-positioning discs
1 Retaining clip for zero-positioning disc
1 Anti-reversing pawl for zero-positioning disc.
5 Tens carry bearing blocks
3 Tens carry springs
12 Tens carry levers for results counter
8 Tens carry levers for turns counter
1 Brass 3 mm nut
2 Clearing lever rivet
1 Clearing lever plunger
5 Clearing lever leaf springs
12 Metal clearing levers

I was the person who originally made the inventory list for him, and mentioned the name of each part.

Interestingly, three of his recent listings were for "Setting shaft complete" subassemblies. And there have been a few listings for a decimal marker. Supposedly he only had what was in the photograph. Apparently he had more items than he originally revealed to me. Or he is, as Pete surmised, disassembling a Curta and selling the parts individually. It is also possible some of the sales were canceled and he relisted those items.

I do know that when Contina sold repair parts that those parts were generally packaged in manila envelopes as groups of 5, 10, 20, 25, etc. Therefore, it does seem likely that an item like the complete setting shaft was purchased in a group of 10 from Contina. Similarly, the decimal markers and tens carry springs would have been packaged in quantities of 25 or even 100 pieces.

As far as I know, all the metal clearing levers have been sold. It is the clearing levers which had the greatest value. I actually installed a few of those clearing levers for the people who bought them.

Most of the time he gets very little interest in the parts he lists. I'm sure this is because bidders generally cannot use the parts at the time the ads run. And even if the bidders know the parts could be used in the future, they may decide the investment is just not worth it because of the ease of misplacing such a small item. But this time around one or two individuals know what they want and are taking advantage of the seller's good fortune at finding these parts several years ago.

The parts were originally owned by Geoff Hunter who had been the Curta repairman in New Zealand. Pete Kinsella and Geoff Hunter were partners in a land surveying equipment company. Pete Kinsella acquired the mix of parts at the estate sale of Mr Hunter. When contacted in 2006 by the Pete I was asked if I had an interest in offering a lump sum for everything. At the end of all our discussions, he decided to sell each piece individually on eBay. I'm sure his income has exceeded what I offered, but the time and effort he has put forth in all the listings has surely been significant. Was it worth it for him, I do not know. But eBay and PayPal sure made out OK as he's listed individual Curta parts about 85 times. Of all those listings, it seems that about 60% have ended in a sale.

What is important is that many Curtas will be reparable because these parts were not discarded many years ago.
_________________
Jack Christensen
Timewise
32 Old Barn Road
Hawthorn Woods, ILLINOIS 60047
USA
847-550-5052 (evenings)
curta.info@gmail.com