Chip Collecting

[gmphillips]

A new chip collector forum! For those who don't know me, my name is George. I'm from the USA. I've been collecting vintage chips for a few years. You can download a spreadsheet containing my current collection
at: http://home.earthlink.net/~gmphillips/

I am also working on a collectors guide for vintage Intel Microchips.
The guide lists part numbers, package variations, specifications, and collector values on the 4004 thru 8088 processors and RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, peripherals, support circuits, and microcontrollers from the same time period. The guide currently contains over 1000 pages of part numbers with many photos. I plan to publish the 1st edition on CD and
sell it on EBAY.

I also have a pretty good collection of old Intel Data Catalogs, IC Masters, etc, including Intel's 1st Data Catalog dated November, 1972. If you need an early datasheet, send me an email. I may have it.

Needless to say, trying to assign collector values to vintage microchips is a challenge. It's not uncommon to see a chip sell on EBAY for $20 one week,
the same chip to bring $100 the next, and $20 the week after.

Then you have auctions like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2303467262&category=3674

$300+ for an Intel D4004, D8008, D4040, and an Intel "Bunnyman" doll.
I'm not so sure about the doll, but I know there's a few collectors around who could hook you up with a D4004, D8008, and D4004 for $100 or less.

On the otherhand a really rare chip, an Intel C8080 which I looked for for 2 years before finding one, only brings a bid of $400! I'll promise you this, there will be collectors years from now still looking for a C8080 who will wish they had that chip and I won't be selling them mine for $400 or even that.

That said, chip collecting is still in it's infancy. One day, collectors will look back on this time as the "good old days" when it was still possible to build a major collection for "pocket change".

The computer revolution will never occur again. One of these days people are going to wake up and realize the incredible historic value of the 1st microchips.

50 years from now every museum in the world is going to want an Intel C4004 under glass on display. What will the prices be then when the museums find out that they can't all have one because only a handful still exist?

[gshv]

George,

I checked your collection - it's very impressive! It would be interesting to see many of your processors, and not only processors. If you have a time can you post maybe a few pictures of your most interesting (in your opinion) chips here or on your website? If not then I''ll wait for the CD

I think it's not difficult to determine collector's value of a chip if the chip periodocally listed on eBay - the value should be close to an average or median for six months, or one year, or whatever period you like. The problem starts if the chip is not listed on eBay... like RCA 1801, or Intel C3002 ES chips that you have in your collection.

By the way, do you know how the average prices for old chips changed for the last few years?

Thank you!

Gennadiy

[Komz]

Hi,
George, do you have a sample of Your guide?
And I would also like to see some chips from your collection

[gmphillips]

Don't know how many of you were watching this auction but this EPROM programmer had one of the nicest C4004 w/gray traces processors in it I've seen. Final bid... 1225.00 USD. I would guess that about 700$ of that bid was for the C4004 w/gray traces. The C4008/C4009 set is worth around $200-300.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2305396265&category=1247

[gshv]

Unfortunately I missed that one completely Of course, even if I knew about it I wouldn't bid on it - my wife would kill me for spending $1000 on one chip. Some things are very difficult to explain to women

I hope Franz will put pictures of the processor and C4008/9 chips on his website soon.

Thanks!

Gennadiy

[Komz]

1000$ ? uhh
This is becoming more and more expensive interest.

[gshv]

Karolo,

Sorry, I meant to say "$1000 for three chips". I think chip collecting is easier (now) and has much more promise than other types of collections (stamps, coins, etc). For example, check out this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3005436286&category=546

Well, the seller is no longer registered - maybe he used another account to drive the price up. Maybe not.

Back to chip collecting - five years ago maybe there was a better time to start collection, and right now it's not a bad time, so get those Pentiums while they're cheap

Thanks!

Gennadiy

[franz77bruck]

I will put pictures of these CPU's (C4004 with traces and C8080) on my websitte: www.cpu-museum.net after I got these CPU's.
Now I know what the price for a C8080 is

Thanks for looking,
Franz