Intel C8080A chip brings $565 on EBAY

Actually, it's an very late date C8080A. Probably one of the last batches produced. As for "why" is it more valuable than a normal white ceramic C8080A, that's like asking "why" is a "rare" purple Beanie Baby doll worth $500 when the "common" white one is only worth $1. It would be the same thing as if a factory made "Red" IMSAI 8080 showed up for sale on EBAY and there were only two known to exist. There would be collectors willing to pay more for it than the "common" blue IMSAI 8080. It's all supply and demand. As more and more people get into chip collecting it is starting to drive up the prices on the harder to find chips. For example, these are the prices being asked (and paid) for some of the harder to find old Intel and Intel second source chips in NOS condition: Some of the valuable early Intel chips include: Intel C4004 - $200-$300 Intel C4004 with gray traces - $250-$500 Intel C4004 prototype with gray traces and wood laminate cap - $3000+ (beware of fakes) Intel P4004 gray DIP - $150 Intel C4040 - $300-$500 Intel P4040 gray dip - $150 Intel G8008 - $300+ ('G' prefix is not a typo) Intel 8008 - $300+ (No prefix is not a typo) Intel C8080 - $1000+ Intel C8080-8 - $600+ Intel D8080 - $600+ Intel P8080 - $400+ Intel C3101, C1101, C1103 - $150-$300 Intel C8085 - $350 (No 'A' suffix) Intel C8085A or C8086 - $250 Intel C1702 - $250 (No 'A' suffix) Some of the valuable Intel 2nd source chips include: Microsystems International MF8008 - $300 Siemens SAB8008-1C - $300 SAB8008-1D - $300 SAB8008-2-P - $300 National Semiconductor INS4004D - $250 If you have any of these chips and you want to get rid of them, send me an email. ----- Original Message ----- From: Russ Blakeman To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2001 7:51 PM Subject: RE: Intel C8080A chip brings $565 on EBAY Excuse my ignorance but even at the fact that it's a purple ceramic - is this like a prototype or one of Intel's first runs or something that makes it worth more than most new processors? -----Original Message----- From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org [mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of John Galt Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2001 4:03 PM To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Re: Intel C8080A chip brings $565 on EBAY Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1296402506 ----- Original Message ----- From: John Galt To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2001 4:27 PM Subject: Intel C8080A chip brings $565 on EBAY Well, it was one of only two known rare purple Intel C8080A's I am always in the market to buy rare old Intel microprocessors and support chips. If you have any old Intel 4004, 8008, 4040, or 8080 microprocessors laying around, I want them. Also buying old EPROMS (C1702's, etc), RAM (C3101, C1101, C1103, etc), clock chips, etc). Contact me at gmphillips(a)earthlink.net