ibm model m (1391401)
Keyboard · Era 1987
Fixed price, or send an offer — an operator responds within the window. No live auctions.
About this unit
The 1391401 is the reference full-size Model M: buckling-spring, PS/2, the keyboard other keyboards apologize to. This unit has been bolt-modded, so the internal plate no longer depends on 40-year-old plastic rivets. For someone who wants the sound and the mass and does not mind honest patina.
Condition
Grade B: a daily driver, not a display piece. The case carries patina consistent with its 1987 birth date and two keycaps show shine from use. Every switch actuates and the buckling-spring feel is uniform across the board. Bolt-modded (rivets replaced with screws) so the plate is solid; the springs were left untouched to preserve the original feel. Original SDL cable and legible birth-certificate label.
Specifications
- Switch
- Buckling spring
- Part number
- 1391401
- Layout
- 101-key ANSI (US)
- Interface
- PS/2 via detachable SDL cable
- Case
- Two-tone industrial ABS
- Weight
- ~2.3 kg
- Birth date
- 1987
Forensic notes
Provenance
Sourced from an office clearance in upstate New York. Original SDL cable, birth-certificate label legible.
Recap & restoration
No electronics to recap. Bolt-modded (rivets replaced with screws), plate cleaned, springs untouched to preserve feel.
Forensic notes
Buckling springs uniform across all keys. Case has honest patina; two keycaps show shine. Every switch actuates.
Certificate of Authenticity
Signed and shareable, generated after grading.
Photo credits: BorgHunter (Public domain) · Raimond Spekking (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sold as graded. Condition is documented, not idealized.