Another great video, Dan!
The AW was Sturmey's decontented price leader, and was introduced in 1936 without fanfare (the K hubs, which did not have a neutral, continuing in production until the four-speeds debuted).
The contemporary Fichtel & Sachs 55 and 415 hubs also had neutrals. The H3111 (which became the SRAM T3) was introduced in 1976 and did not have a neutral.
At the request of Columbia Bikes, Sturmey-Archer developed the NIG version of the AW in 1984, and Columbia paid extra for this new model hub. Sturmey continued to build and sell the regular AW to everyone else, but incorporated the NIG into their AWC coaster hub in 1988 and their five-speeds in 1991.
When SunRace bought Sturmey-Archer in 2000, they did not return the standard AW to production, building only the AW-NIG.