ZX81 with yellow serial number

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Lardo Boffin
Posts: 2155
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 2:42 am

ZX81 with yellow serial number

Post by Lardo Boffin »

Hello all

I saw this on eBay:-

5505A4B4-E08B-4AFB-AEC3-D9EA04A6F117.jpeg

I have not seen one with a yellow serial number before - just green ones. Close up it looks to be properly printed on.

Anyone any ideas what the story is with this one?

Lardo
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1024MAK
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Re: ZX81 with yellow serial number

Post by 1024MAK »

Zeddies with any properly printed serial numbers appear not to be very common. See this thread.

There is thought to be a system for ZX Spectrum serial numbers, but I have never heard of anything similar for the Zeddies.

Maybe it just happened to be the colour of the paint that they had during the production (maybe the same factory was using yellow for ZX Spectrums as well).

Mark
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Lardo Boffin
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Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 2:42 am

Re: ZX81 with yellow serial number

Post by Lardo Boffin »

I did have one guy on eBay say that the serial numbers were eventually insisted upon by certain retailers such as WHSmiths. I asked him how he knew but he never replied.

The only ones I have seen have been green and the serial number printed on the smooth recess to the right of the one shown. But hey - Sinclair!
ZX80
ZX81 iss 1 (bugged ROM, kludge fix, normal, rebuilt)
TS 1000 iss 3, ZXPand AY and +, ZX8-CCB, ZX-KDLX & ChromaSCART
Tatung 81 + Wespi
TS 1500 & 2000
Spectrum 16k (iss 1 s/n 862)
Spectrum 48ks plus a DIVMMC future and SPECTRA
Lardo Boffin
Posts: 2155
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 2:42 am

Re: ZX81 with yellow serial number

Post by Lardo Boffin »

I was discussing this with MCG after they got a yellow serial number zeddy in for repair:-

549EEC28-18DE-415A-8CBC-4C1D692234A2.jpeg

Interestingly the serial number starts with 081 as well. Presumably for ZX81?

Also the yellow paint on a Spectrum indicates a 1985 manufacture point. Presumably well after ZX81s stopped being produced.
ZX80
ZX81 iss 1 (bugged ROM, kludge fix, normal, rebuilt)
TS 1000 iss 3, ZXPand AY and +, ZX8-CCB, ZX-KDLX & ChromaSCART
Tatung 81 + Wespi
TS 1500 & 2000
Spectrum 16k (iss 1 s/n 862)
Spectrum 48ks plus a DIVMMC future and SPECTRA
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