The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 20

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Custom HP 45
Message #1 Posted by Jim Gossett on 5 May 2011, 3:12 p.m.

I have a HP 45, soft case, battery charger, power cable (and bad battery module). I believe it is unique in that the person I bought it from in the 70's toured the HP plant and complained that the +, -, *, and / keys were all gray.

They took it from him and installed a blue "-" and an orange "+" key.

Does this make it singularly unique and of any extra value?

Overall the condition is well- used but not broken anywhere, working, and all the keys and instructions on back are very legible.

Thanks,

      
Re: Custom HP 45
Message #2 Posted by Marcus von Cube, Germany on 5 May 2011, 3:52 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Jim Gossett

Jim, a photo would be interesting for all.

      
Re: Custom HP 45
Message #3 Posted by Katie Wasserman on 5 May 2011, 10:37 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Jim Gossett

The orange key must have been taken from an HP-70 and the blue one from an HP-35. I suppose that many of use who collect the classics to do this too pretty easily, especially if you have some "parts machines" hanging around. But it would look pretty silly.

            
Re: Custom HP 45
Message #4 Posted by Michael de Estrada on 6 May 2011, 9:35 a.m.,
in response to message #3 by Katie Wasserman

I have a very unusual HP 45 with a Red Dot and was wondering what it might be worth.

      
Re: Custom HP 45
Message #5 Posted by Mike Morrow on 6 May 2011, 8:16 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Jim Gossett

It's hard to imagine the basis for the original owner's complaint about the gray keys. Certainly what he finally got was no improvement...whatever it was that was imagined to need improving!

I'm not really a collector, but the HP-45 is on my list of all-time favorite HPs. When it came out, during my junior year at Georgia Tech, one could buy a good used car for what it cost.

I'd be put off by an example that was bizarrely configured to no good purpose.

Edited: 6 May 2011, 8:18 a.m.

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