This is not the case and furthermore, both frontboards, from the ET4410 and ET4510, are absolutely identical.
Really identical?
When I look at the pictures of an ET4410 and a 4510, I see that the rubber studs are in different places and also have different names.
Take a look at the pictures or has that changed in the meantime?
If I understand correctly, you swapped the front panels but the model recognition remained the same, right?
Did you check to see if the firmware version changed, assuming you hadn't already flashed both with the same one?
That would at least detect that the Nation chip on the display board is being flashed.
From this we can conclude that the basic parameters such as serial number and model are somewhere on the board.
I haven't been able to identify all of the chips,
but I think that the 2nd Nation chip on the mainboard could contain the necessary information.
It would also be interesting to know if both received an update when flashing,
although as far as I know older boards had an STM32F103 on them.
That sounds rather unlikely because the firmware would also have to detect the chip separately.