They *are* beautiful. My mentor of many years ago showed me that the best design is also beautiful. He was a former Apollo engineer. He would get a huge kick out of the Curta.

Since the Scientific American article (mentioned by someone else in this thread), the prices on ebay have doubled or tripled. I'd love to throw down the $1000-$1500 for a mint condition Curta, but I just can't justify it right now. Someday soon, I hope.