My first CC1!

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proto57
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My first CC1!

Post by proto57 »

For the past few years, I've been searching for a Chess Challenger 1. I just missed a couple incomplete sets, but was surprised to find this almost complete set... minus only the warranty card I think... with a BIN price of only $74.95, plus $10 shipping. So of course I grabbed it. I know the price has dropped in the last several years, but beggars can't be choosers... I still think it is a good deal.

I was wondering if anyone was still keeping a list of known units? The list I've seen is a couple of years old. As I understand, there are still under 100 of these known to exist in working condition, but I'm not sure. Mine is serial number 24290.

Image

The box is only fair to poor, with a couple of tears, and clear tape across the cover. The styrofoam insert is really good, and I think the bag for the pieces is original. The pieces are not scratched or worn at all... they look new. It has the instructions, too... not the blue lined one, but the common B&W version.
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Steve B
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Post by Steve B »

Congrats on your CC1!

not sure where you heard that only 100 are in working condition today?
i dont think that's correct
my guess would be at least 3x-5x that amount but thats just a guess
i do know that only 1000 were produced by Fidelity before they upgraded to the CC3

Schindler's List Regards
Steve
proto57
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Post by proto57 »

Steve B wrote:not sure where you heard that only 100 are in working condition today?
i dont think that's correct
my guess would be at least 3x-5x that amount but thats just a guess
i do know that only 1000 were produced by Fidelity before they upgraded to the CC3
Thanks, Steve! As for the number of units, I had seen your estimate of the number that may exist... from this site:

http://www.chesscomputeruk.com/html/fid ... __cc1.html

But as I understand it, of those possible 250 to 600 non-converted units that may exist, or have existed in the past (and those numbers make sense to me, too), under 100 have so far turned up... that's what I meant (about 60? or is that just the ones the numbers are known of?). But by now, perhaps many more are known? I wrote to the owner of that site (Mike), asking if he is still compiling the list of numbers, and how many he knows of.
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Post by Steve B »

well its all guess work
while i agree with Mikes estimate of 300. he gives this as the high end of the estimate .i think this is the low end of the estimate


just because a CC1 dosent turn up on Ebay dosent mean it dosent exist
not everyone sells everything they have ever owned on Ebay
I have never sold anything on Ebay
never will
yet i own close to 600 computers..including 3 working CC1's

the prevailing wisdom was that the Scisys President was never released for sale and never made it out of Prototype stage and then one pops up out of nowhere..box, manual,adapter, pieces and foam packing

i am not a big fan of drawing definitive conclusions based upon guess work and assumptions

Just The Known Facts Regards
Steve
Last edited by Steve B on Sun Aug 17, 2014 2:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
proto57
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Post by proto57 »

Steve B wrote: i am not a big fan of drawing cincusions based upon guess work and assumptions
Sorry Steve, I seem to have hit a nerve. I also don't expect conclusions based on guesswork, but was interested in the current state of the guesswork.... since it is mostly what we have at this point. And I was also asking if anyone had the facts, so I could separate these from the guesses that are out there... even your guesses, as you stated above, which as I said make sense to me.

I also thought others would be interested in noting my find, and price, and serial number, since knowing these things would allow some of the haze to clear, and maybe help compile a concrete list... eventually we may not have to guess, and I think we both agree that would be good.

And, I just wanted to share. Maybe this is not the place?
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Steve B
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Post by Steve B »

proto57 wrote:
Steve B wrote: i am not a big fan of drawing cincusions based upon guess work and assumptions
Sorry Steve, I seem to have hit a nerve. I also don't expect conclusions based on guesswork, but was interested in the current state of the guesswork.... since it is mostly what we have at this point. And I was also asking if anyone had the facts, so I could separate these from the guesses that are out there... even your guesses, as you stated above, which as I said make sense to me.

I also thought others would be interested in noting my find, and price, and serial number, since knowing these things would allow some of the haze to clear, and maybe help compile a concrete list... eventually we may not have to guess, and I think we both agree that would be good.

And, I just wanted to share. Maybe this is not the place?
hit a nerve?
of course not
this is not an emotional issue for me
:P
Mikes analysis is as good a guess as anyone else's ..i guess
you can share whatever you want here
dont know where that comes from

Hmmm Regards
Steve
proto57
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Post by proto57 »

For those interested, here are a couple more pictures. It seems I am missing the upper styrofoam insert... I didn't realize there was supposed to be one at first. You can see the condition of the box, which is unfortunately taped, is stained, and has two tears (on the back). So, far from the best I've seen... but I'm still glad it is with the unit.

Image

Image

Any information... educated guesses, facts... all of interest and appreciated. I may try to track down some of those in the know, from the company, and see if the list can be solidified a bit, with known units.
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Post by Steve B »

actually
when i re-read your comment.. you said...

"under 100 of these known to exist in working condition"
thats probably true...
its also true that there are probably less then 100 total known collectors worldwide
so there are not very many chess computers i can think of where more then 100 are "known to exist"

however i took your comment to mean ..
there are less then 100 working today
thats what i dont think is correct..even though you didnt exactly say that

Just Clarifying Regards
Steve
proto57
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Post by proto57 »

Thanks Steve... yes I actually tend to be very pragmatic, and like you, don't use guesses as facts. I'm trying to separate speculation from guesses, which at this point is hard to do.

Fidelity did not help in that they seem to have used a somewhat random method of assigning serial numbers. But that also seems to be an assumption, and I would wonder if there is some order to these numbers, as others have. No way to know at this point, I suppose.

One thing that I would wonder: Someone noted that an approximate 3 to 5 of these show up on eBay each year... in my experience, 3 might now be the high end. You are correct in that not everyone sells everything they own on ebay, but in my experience certain items can dry up to a trickle eventually, as awareness spreads. This has happened in the area I collect, radio direction finders... many units that were once common slowed to no availability at all, and now only seem to show up when the collectors who bought them put them back up on the market. Of course there will always be "one more" (there is always a clean pair of socks in the drawer, for some reason), but I will be interested to see the very nadir of supply... it may be some indication that the end of attic finds is close on these, and so, a better focus of the unknown number of possible existing units.

Again, of course, just guesses, since we have little else to go on. It may never be known, conclusively. But interesting I think, to try and fix that as best as possible.
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