Mint or cosmetically refurbished

[Marx Pio]

I've seen many of the voyagers but no one of them are in mint conditions, and I wonder how the ebay sellers keep their voyagers in mint condition. Do they make new aluminium face plate in a in specialized industrial process and paste it on old hardly used HP11/15/16C?. They could buy many of used HP11C or a HP15 for a penny, refurbish them changing the face plate and sell them for a fortune...
I have a friend that assured me that making a new face plate identical to the original ones are easy. Is it true?

Just wondering...

Pio

[hp15c owner]

Even if you made a new faceplate, the rest of the calc would show wear, so I doubt it would make any sense to do so. Also, the new faceplates, manufactured in small lots, would probably run more than the calcs were worth. Just take care of your mint 15C, and it will stay that way!

[Marx Pio]

15C_onwner,

You are right, there's no sense in trying it. I was just wondering. I have one 11 and one 15.
Humidity and high temperatures here in Amazon jungle are driving me crazy in trying to keep my babies in good conditions.
I have one 42S that you won't believe what humidity and finger sweat did with it. You hardly see the function writed on face plate.
I think I'll give up collecting hp's or move to another place;)

Cheers,

Marx Pio

[John Mills]

> and I wonder how the ebay sellers keep their voyagers in
mint condition

pal, you'd do well to be very careful about some of those
allegedly 'mint' voyagers out there. no names given, but
i know about some guy who posts frequently to the adds
section in this museum and announces mint items which
are nothing but doctored calcs, and poorly done at that.
he recently offered a completely 'new in the box' 15c for nearly $300 to some poor chap asking for one to complete his collection, and then,
after many months, delivered one with a badly glued logo,
the glue spilling over the display, ruining it, and acetone stains here and there from pathetically trying to remove surplus glue and scratches. the manual was abused and cracked and the box was crap. perhaps that was his very own concept of 'new' or else he thought the $300 sucker wouldn't notice. seeya

[Marx Pio]

JMills,

Thats a warning.
I always wonder how, now I know.

Cheating seems to be the "real" bussiness in selling vintage items, and it happens not only on old calculators market.

:(

Thanks,

Marx Pio