HP-21S - Is it a rarity?

[Thomas Radtke]

(09-14-2014 02:06 PM)Dave Frederickson Wrote:  Let's say I'm a scientific collector, but there are so many Pioneer models that I'm considering adding a token financial calc to my collection. Also, I'm a vintage guy and while I have some newer calcs in my collection, I'm only looking at the pre-10BII models. What would you recommend and why?

From the era up to and including the Pioneers, I only have the 18C, 19B, 10B, and 17BII calculators, so others might give more reasonable recommendations.

If you do not insist on a Pioneer and RPN, get a 19B. It's the only financial model (before 20b and 10bII+) with trigs. Handling and especially the battery compartement might a problem, unfortunately.

The most interesting financial Pioneer is the 17BII, if you can live with nearly all functionality hidden in menus. It shares the equation editor/solver of the 19B(II) with the exception of trigs and the alphanumeric keyboard. But if you know the 27S already, you'll be familiar with the 17BII's solver. Of course, it has RPN also. If you want one, get a US or Singapore model with molded keyboard legends.

The 14B appears to be the rarest financial Pioneer, allthough not that rare. Quite common ist the 50th AE model among them. As a collector, I'd want one.