II+ shipped with a II lid?

["Bill W." <billspamcan@gmail.com>]

I recently had a chance to pick up what initially appeared to be a
nice original II, at least based on the lid.  Flipping it over
revealed a green sticker with an A2S2 serial number.  It has a rev 7
board and Applesoft ROMs.  MB date 8044.  So, it is a II+ with a II
lid.  The owner claimed to have had it since purchase in the early 80s
and had the original boxes and materials.  He says he bought it in
early 1981 as an Apple II, which is also what the shipping box says.
He said he never replaced the cover or any other major components.
The lid is cosmetically a perfect match, so if it did get swapped at
some point, it was probably a long time ago.

So, possibly a factory or store mistake?  Did Apple perhaps have a few
extra II lids that went on II+ guts as they were finishing off the
Apple II line?  I suppose it is unlikely that anyone knows, but it is
interesting to speculate.

The original II that I grew up with is close in age, with a date of
8024, but shipped with a rev 4 board and integer ROMs.

Historically it is kind of interesting, as this might help to pin down
when the last IIs went out the door.  I've always wondered how close
the machine I grew up with was to the end of production.