Place your bets on the value

[aurelio]

(11-08-2018 07:18 AM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:  

(11-08-2018 02:18 AM)Paul Berger (Canada) Wrote:  There are actually 4 production versions of the 35
1. Red dot no model number on front bump on the 5 key
2. No red dot still no model number on front, early ones of this version still have the bump on the 5 key.
3. Now says HEWLETT PACKARD 35 on the front
4. Legends on top 4 rows moulded into keys rather that printed above them.

The four and two prototypes.

I have the 2nd , 3rd and fourth ones, not any red dot or prototype, unfortunately....
In the red dot showed in the picture, after the two prototypes, the ON-OFF switch is missing?
How many red dots have been throwed somewhere, disregarded and unknown?

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(11-11-2018 11:45 AM)aurelio Wrote:  How many red dots have been throwed somewhere, disregarded and unknown?

My theory would be that the percentage of red dots thrown away is smaller than for most other calculators. The first ever scientific pocket calculators were really special and rare at the time. Every family member would know that this calculator was one of daddy's or granddad's most valuable posessions. They would not throw it away as easily after his passing away than the other stuff found in his drawers. At least they would try to give it to relatives or friends with an interest in these kind of things (this is how I got my granddad's calculating machine and his drawing and surveyeing stuff - he was an architect). Later calculators were much more commonplace and therefore considered as consumables.

But exactly how many red dot's survive is pure speculation of course. I would say between 10 and 20 percent maybe.

Regards
Max

[BartDB]

(11-11-2018 11:45 AM)aurelio Wrote:  The four and two prototypes.

In the red dot showed in the picture, after the two prototypes, the ON-OFF switch is missing?

Yes, and looking at the display screen the LEDs are missing too - it looks empty. So it seems to be a case model only with nothing inside.
.

[burkhard]

(11-12-2018 04:24 PM)BartDB Wrote:  

(11-11-2018 11:45 AM)aurelio Wrote:  The four and two prototypes.

In the red dot showed in the picture, after the two prototypes, the ON-OFF switch is missing?

Yes, and looking at the display screen the LEDs are missing too - it looks empty. So it seems to be a case model only with nothing inside.
.

Looking at that same "empty case" Red Dot HP35 in the picture, I notice now it has a grey rather than black x↔y key. The HP-35 in the auction that started this thread has a black x↔y as does the "front view" of the Red Dot on the museum page.

So, was a grey x↔y key a manufactured subvariant of the Red Dot? Or is this one in the picture of 6 merely some pre-production hack-up that didn't completely reflect the Red Dots that actually made it out the door? We can already see it has no display or power switch, so I'm a little suspicious of it.

[AndiGer]

Hmmmm ... and tan key black. Somebody interchanged these two keys ...

[burkhard]

(11-12-2018 09:42 PM)TomC Wrote:  This unit looks most suspect - the SN and front label do not match the vintage of a 'red dot' machine.

TomC

(11-07-2018 11:46 AM)hp41cx Wrote:  HP-35 Red dot

Serial number 1143A XXXXX on the auctioned one seems *really early*, but to me at least, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some variation among ones at the very beginning. These early-run ones could have been used mostly internally. What serial number range would you have expected for a Red Dot?

What's wrong with the front label? It says "HEWLETT PACKARD" without the "35." Is there a subtlety I am missing?

Oh, just to confirm... You are going to the *original* auction and not the substitute one eBay sends you when you click the link after the auction close, correct? I hate how they do that now.

[burkhard]

(11-12-2018 09:14 PM)AndiGer Wrote:  Hmmmm ... and tan key black. Somebody interchanged these two keys ...

Good catch! I think you are right. It's obviously a goof that happened one of the times it was apart, not a design variation.
That is going to really bug somebody with OCD.

[TomC]

Oops; nevermind - I was looking at the wrong listing! (I deleted my original post - sorry for the wased effort!!!)

TC

(11-12-2018 09:58 PM)burkhard Wrote:  

(11-12-2018 09:42 PM)TomC Wrote:  This unit looks most suspect - the SN and front label do not match the vintage of a 'red dot' machine.

TomC

Serial number 1143A XXXXX on the auctioned one seems *really early*, but to me at least, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some variation among ones at the very beginning. These early-run ones could have been used mostly internally. What serial number range would you have expected for a Red Dot?

What's wrong with the front label? It says "HEWLETT PACKARD" without the "35." Is there a subtlety I am missing?

Oh, just to confirm... You are going to the *original* auction and not the substitute one eBay sends you when you click the link after the auction close, correct? I hate how they do that now.

[grsbanks]

(11-12-2018 09:58 PM)burkhard Wrote:  Serial number 1143A XXXXX on the auctioned one seems *really early*

In the beginning at least, HP were not as diligent in updating the serial numbers and would only do so when there was a significant change in design or if they ran out of numbers after the country code.

There's a huge number of HP-35 machines with serial numbers that start with 1143A (mine does too and it's not a red dot) so that is not a good indicator of its manufacturing date even though it's meant to indicate the year and week.