Is it normal for the backlight to come and go?

Tried all of that, even on adapter power the screen was dark.

Last night when I unplugged my AC adapter the screen on my T30 (2366-JCU, 14.1 SXGA) went dark. I could faintly see images in the background. I tried plugging it back in, restarting and still could not get the screen to come back. I left it for the night and when I started it this morning all was we...

I'm looking on E-Bay for a new IBM battery for my T30, but I dont want one thats been sitting on the shelf for a couple years. The seller has sent me the serial# 11SO2K7034Z1Z51T39909B. Is there any way to tell how old it is without putting it in my computer. Thanks