Antique Curta II Calculator In Excellent Condition. Germany, 1963

Authentic Curta II mechanic calculator, a real iconic piece among the caculating machines made in the 20th century which was made in Germany in 1963 (according to the serial number printed on the base). The calculator works wonderfully: the levers and the crank move fluidly and softly and are a real pleasure to manipulate. The calculator comes with its original metal sleeve; both the machine and the sleeve remain in flawless organoleptic condition and working order. It is really a very special and exclusive piece, perfect to become part of a good collection of mechanical antiques from the 20th century. The calculator has a cylindrical metal body with a matt-grey finish in very good condition. It bears the brand name CURTA printed in clear white lettering. The body bears vertical grooves at regular intervals with small black and red plastic levers designed to choose the numerals. At the top, a turn of the crank makes it possible to see the results of the operation in its corresponding boxes. At the base of the machine we can see the calculators model (Type II), the manufacturing companys name and location, the designers name (Curt Herzstark) and the serial number 522861. There is also a sticker with the name of the French distributor. Finally, the black-painted metal sleeve is in perfect condition and bears the CURTA brand name printed on the lid. Every collector of antique calculators will appreciate this amazing Curta II calculator, for its inherent attractive and for its exceptional condition too.Curta Calculators History Curta calculators are mechanical machines with a simple and intellgent design, fully reliable. Until the arrival of electronic calculators in the 1970s, Curta machines were the most popular of all. Their design resulted from the talent of Curtz Herztark, an Austrian inventor with Jewish ancestry who found inspiration in Leibnizs arithmometer and Charles Thomass calculating machine.They are compact and cylindrical in shape, light and easy to carry: the can be hidden in the palm of the hand. Curtz Herztark developed the first Curta calculator in Vienna in 1903, but he did not patent his invention until 1938. That year, the Nazis forced him and his company to produce war material for their army. In 1943 Herztark was taken to Buchenwald concentration camp where he was encouraged to keep on with this calculator in order to give it to Hitler as a present to celebrate the Nazi victory in World War II. Nevertheless, in 1945 the American forces liberated the prisoners of Buchenwald and soon after Herztark founded his own calculator factory. Some years later, fearing that the Soviet government sent him to Russia, he moved to Austria. Curta kept on producing calculators for decades; Curtz Herztark always profited from the sales of his products until the 1970s, when electronic machines replaced mechanical calculators.