After your second article (on 35-80mm AFD OLD), out of curiosity I looked at my sample 35-80: it's the latest series (sn 483xxxx), made in Thailand.
Now the story of this particular lens: it was part of a bundle, bought 7 years ago with a Nikon D1! The seller did not want to put a body cap on the D1?
The bundle was a bargain (camera, batteries, charger, power source, strap, kitlens, original package, aluminum case, a flash unit, manuals...).
I tested the D1 with this kitlens, and results were above average, possibly because the D1 has a DX sensor, vignetting was almost absent.
Naturally autofocus was excellent, the D1 has the screwdriver for moving the light lens elements with no effort.
Well, this Cinderella of a lens can still do its homework after 22 years in service!
Maybe I should try it with a full frame camera...
Ciao from Massimo
) 
