What makes a chip collectable?

[PhilC]

So over the last couple of years I've been acquiring a few bits of new old stock equipment. It's been mainly where it includes something I want but comes with a whole load of other stuff I don't immediately need. If ever.

So it seems quite a lot of it may be interesting to collectors or retro computer enthusiasts like myself.

I've googled some stuff and was shocked at the prices. Like a DAC being sold at £180 a pop for instance.

So in your opinion, what makes a chip collectable or valuable and how do you determine it's value?

I am going to sell a fair bit of the unusual stuff I have and would like good prices for them, they would go towards my day to day living expenses etc now that I can't work BUT I really don't want to be the microchip equivalent of a ticket tout.

[alexh]

Typically the high priced chips are parts of a much loved device that people collect. They were low production. They were parts that are susceptible to failure, perhaps something that connects to an external peripheral (monitor, joystick, audio) and subject to very high voltages due to EMF. Or parts that are high voltage perhaps in PSU etc.

If a DAC is high priced I would imagine that it is in a device which is highly collected, relatively low volume production run and either prone to failure or is part something that is now being reproduced (i.e. enthusiasts making clone reproductions of highly collected devices)

For example the AT&T DSP3210 in the AA3000 AGA prototype computer was relatively cheap until someone remade the motherboard in the form of the AA3000+ and now they are in high demand after many years (as are the AGA chips themselves which were uber cheap at one point).

I would love to be able to buy

VY86C020 (ARM3, preferably the 35MHz version, unobtainium except for pulls)
FPA10 (ARM Floating Point Unit, unobtanium)
VL86C310 (VIDC, unobtanium except for pulls)
VL86C410 (IOC, these are available £30)
VY86C110-12QC (12MHz MEMC1a chips, these are available £23)
IMST805-G25S (Transputer with FPU, these are available in limited numbers, £70)
IMS B426 4MB TRAM (These were practically worthless until ATW800/2 and are now over £200!)

[PhilC]

@alexh UnfortunatelyI don't have any of those chips.

I'm sure most of it won't be of use to forum members but I do have a few little bits that would. For instance NOS GAL16v8B-7LP and some OTP Pal equivalents. And even some 8086 chips.

I'll have to make a list, for my own benefit, let alone others :lol:

[rubber_jonnie]

I guess what's collectable really does depend on your own interests - so what excites you.

Of course there is the rarity factor to add on as well, certainly when it comes to certain ICs and I see a lot classed as rare with high prices when they really aren't.

About the only IC I'd really like to get hold of is a CDP1861, which is the video IC that goes with the CDP1802 CPU.

They really are unobtanium and though replacements are buildable they just don't look like the glorious ceramic and gold pin package of the original.

[PhilC]

@rubber_jonnie I don't think I have one of those but will certainly let you know if I have

[stephen_usher]

I think the main criteria are:

• It was in a (now) popular old computer.
• It's been out of manufacture since the 1980s and NOS stocks no-longer exist.
• No-one has devised a replacement, or purists think that only the original does things "correctly" (e.g. SID sound chip) or it's "iconic".

Even if there is a replacement, such as for the WD1770/1772 it's not well known so the original chip is sort after. (The replacement for the WD1770/1772 is designed by Charlie Ingley: https://www.vretrodesign.com/products/v ... eplacement and is also AJAX compatible.)

[exxos]

I've got 100s of new original WD1772 ;) not from China sources either.

If you guys give me a list of chips and expected buy price, I can ask my suppliers. But generally they not much interested unless ordering 100+ of things.

[stephen_usher]

RETRO NEWS TODAY

We've just become aware that an outfit based in the Midlands of England has most of the World's stock of the highly sort after WD1772 floppy disk driver controller chips. How the company came to stock this horde of chips, which are otherwise quite rare and valuable, is unknown at this point, but it is thought that this was a legacy purchase from a time when they were still plentiful.

The company has been contacted for comment.


:lol:

[exxos]

:lolbig: :bravo:

Bought a couple years or so ago..

viewtopic.php?p=106330#p106330

https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0268
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0242

[alexh]

For example for no good reason electronics for audio amplifiers are now highly sought after. I assume it is due to old pharts like us want to rebuild the amp they had when they were kids? Or maybe uber enthusiasts who think tubes give better sound than transistors?

To Me sound is sound I'd just buy a decent new AV-Amp from Richer Sounds.