Production History
Nikon's first 35mm f/2 lens design was made from 1962 - 1967.
The optics were changed in 1967, another slight change was made in 1975, and this version made up through about 2005.
I don't know that any of these changes were major; it's always been an 8 element, 6 group design with a large front element.
Numerous changes have been made to the mechanics and coatings over the decades. At first it was single coated in amber, then blue (-C) and for the past three decades it's been multicoated.
Any of these lenses in at least the AI version made since about 1977 should be optically indistinguishable from this one.
The AI-s version seen here was made from 1981 - 2005.
Nikon made about 125,000 of these AI-s versions, and about 450,000 of all types of 35mm f/2 manual focus lenses combined. They are very popular for the same reason I bought my first one in 1983.
The 35mm f/2 D AF is a completely different design. It came out in 1989 (pre-D version) and is still made today.