I noticed this the other day... I'm a bit confused as to it's lineage.
First, the M series has a unique keyswitch, unlike the E and F series. In
the E & F, the keyswitch is nothing more than a latch to open the front
panel. On the M series, the front panel switch is electronic, selecting R
(reset memory I think), Off, Standby, On, and perhaps Lock (going from
memory).
The one on ebay has no such markings on the front panel. This would make me
think E & F. But the front panel is clearly from an M, as it only has the
ABSTPM registers, not the special register mode (index registers, etc.). And
in some of the pictures there are two pictures showing behind the front
panel, and to me at least, it looks very non-HP (custom) with regards to the
cables coming off the front panel board, and some kinda (non-hp?) board
underneath that. Wierd.
Not to say it isn't a fully functional M series, but... I have never seen
one quite like that.
Regards,
Jay West