IBM New Model M set: 1988 Industrial 1390653 and 1391401

[Ellipse]

Note: Nothing's for sale here.

First up: Here's my photos of a NIB IBM Industrial Model M from December 1988 - this one has the rarer Black Square Logo on the upper right hand side. I no longer have this one but it was one of the rarer keyboards I've owned. I don't know of too many pre-1988 NIB Industrial Model Ms. This one has the wire stabilizers on the vertical + and Enter keys and the wires connecting the LED board. I also opened up the keyboard to show how clean a brand new Model M keyboard really is. Almost all of these will have hair and other debris after even a few months of usage so it's pretty rare to find something that is over 25 years old and hasn't been used.

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[Ellipse]

Next up:

This was one of my Brand New in original foam IBM Model M gray logo keyboards, part 1391401 from 1992. Here's how the IBM Model M keyboards were packaged. From what I was told, most of these did not have "retail" box packaging since they were just going right into service in an office, so they were just taped to foam and did not have a box, like this one. I read elsewhere that even IBM itself tossed thousands of unused and unsold Model Ms, so these are quite hard to find new.

These keyboards were factory taped to the foam as shown - I cut one side of the foam to show the top side of the Model M.

I can understand why new ones are in such high demand - there is a lot of gross gunk and hair below a majority of the used Model Ms from years of usage.

Imagine many office workers probably got a new Model M from the company IT department in the 80s and 90s.

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[Muirium]

Typical IBM neglecting to mention on the box that this is no ordinary Model M within: it's an industrial! I half expected them to use the same black logo on the packaging, but should have known better.

[Ellipse]

yep - Other Industrial M boxes I've seen don't even have the big IBM logo on the box.

[seebart]

now these are interesting info`s Ellipse, I had never even seen the "Black Square Logo" version. Thanks for sharing!

I`m looking forward to more posts of yours with this note:

Note: Nothing's for sale here.

[snoopy]

The square label industrial is nice. Hope I can add one of those to my collection one day.

[andrewjoy]

nice !

I hope try to an older square label model m of any kind at some point , i hear the older ones have a much more study plate, almost as thick as a model F backplate.

[seebart]

nice !

I hope try to an older square label model m of any kind at some point , i hear the older ones have a much more study plate, almost as thick as a model F backplate.

yes I can confirm that. I own an square label M 1390133 from 1987. They are noticeably higher build quality and feel.

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[andrewjoy]

i notice it also has the older style caps that have symbols but no text and they look to have sharper edges like model F caps

loverly keyboard both yours and the industrial