http://www.ipsnd.net/View.aspx?id=1340

I don't know the answer to your question but you can view some serial number data here.

Could it be that Pinside is wrong?

Yves

Serial numbers didn't always start at one. Sometimes they started at something like 1001.

Pinside gets the numbers from ipdb. They could be wrong but it seems like the numbers may have started at 1000. Not all games start at 0001.

As stated above Numbers stared at 1000, on most the 70's Gottliebs. On the same assembly line Jungle Queen and Jungle Princess, those games would have their serial numbers intermixed. Jungle Queen 6795 made plus Jungle Princess 1600 made, numbers could reach 8395.

sample games started at 1001. the made anywhere from 50-150 sample games.
those games have a space after the number then a S (example 1084 S)
some production games did start at 1001 and did not have a S. fun land is an example

most i say MOST other games start the production run with 3001 BUT if you look at ipsndb you can kind of tell where the production number started. looking at jungle queens submitted numbers there is one in the 2xxx range the most of the others start at 5xxx
with a Production Run of 6,795 if started at 2001 the last serial number would be #08796 that kind of works with the last number on isndb being 08634 there is a serial nuber 09157 but it doesn't show a picture and 9's can be confused for 8's i would disregard it.
so looking at the facts i have at hand jungle queen started at #02001

i don't believe any game was made with another on the same line if they did the serial numbers were not mixed

So Boilerman I have a Cow Poke 02006, no S. My buddy has 02041 S. Confusing...

like i said MOST started at 3001 but many did start at 2001 or 5001 but for the most part the 1001 were just for samples
but like i said even that is not always true because fun parks were in the 1000's for production games.
there was really no standard as could tell.
this is just my theory from looking at serial numbers over the years

i am not sure how that happened? very rare for samples to run more than 150 machines
cowpoke had 1256 made and samples play into that number
your 02006 is the first and the last is 02760 that's only 754 machines there is still 502 machines missing
you can go bat shit crazy trying to figure this numbering system out ??????????/

Yea but manufactures used different starting numbers to keep the competition guessing on the quantities being produced.