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Components and Circuits For discussions about component types, alternatives and availability, circuit configurations and modifications etc. Discussions here should be of a general nature and not about specific sets. |
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20th Nov 2010, 2:48 pm | #1 |
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What did transistors cost way back?
Anyone got the original price of transistors such as the OC44, OC71 etc. from when they first appeared, or even an original price list?
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20th Nov 2010, 3:08 pm | #2 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
I've a few old boxed ones here, early '60s I'd guess, Mullard with a mix of Dutch and UK production: OC44 9/3d, pair of OC72 16/-, OC81 and OC81D 8/- each, AC127 and AF117 9/6d each. Rather more than that for the OC types at first appearance I'd guess, the AC and AF may have been the latest thing when they were made...
Paul |
20th Nov 2010, 3:13 pm | #3 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
I used to buy red and white spot transistors around 1963/4 as I was at school then. Red were for AF, white for RF. I just found the advert from the company I used to buy from in an old PW, BW Cursons. They were a shilling each then. OC44, OC71 etc were 3 shillings each then. Looking back to a 1960 PW OC44 were 26 shillings, OC71 14 shillings in one advert. Very few transistor adverts then, mainly valves. I'm not sure when Mullard released the OC44 etc.
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20th Nov 2010, 3:17 pm | #4 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
Looking at http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/ that is near enough a shilling to the pound. I guess that even with bulk buying a fiver of a pre 1960 transistor radio was the transistors. Makes £20 for an output valve look more reasonable now.
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20th Nov 2010, 3:28 pm | #5 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
No numbered types at all offered in a March '57 Radio Constructor, just red spot at 10/- and blue spot for RF at 15/-. A local station pocket receiver design in there calls for five transistors, all OC71 ("or Henry's Red Spot" ): tuned RF stage and four stages of audio amplification.
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20th Nov 2010, 4:55 pm | #6 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
Hello All
The first OC44 I bought cost 45 shillings and a OC45 cost 44 shillings a matched pair of OC72's cost 60 shillings in the days when a pound was 20 shillings. These were bought in order that I could build a repanco 7 transistor portable. Regards Doug |
20th Nov 2010, 5:32 pm | #7 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
Advert for Henry's Radio, Practical Wireless Jan 1957
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20th Nov 2010, 5:56 pm | #8 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
For comparison in 1960 I was earning about £12.00 per week, or at Doug's prices about six transistors!
Peter |
20th Nov 2010, 9:37 pm | #9 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
Would not be fobbed of with red spots at 10/6 each.
Ian |
22nd Nov 2010, 9:42 am | #10 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
The price in shillings might not be so interesting as compared to other components (or a week's wages as Peter was comparing to).
So, in those days, what would an ECC83 have cost? Or a 1kohm, 1/2 W resistor? Or an OA70 diode? /Ricard |
22nd Nov 2010, 9:59 am | #11 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
To put transistors into some sort of context. I have a memory of early point contact transistors being offered at very high prices (£10), so the OC series would seem quite reasonable, though valve prices were still competitive.
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22nd Nov 2010, 12:36 pm | #12 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
I remember buying a GEX34 diode for a crystal set and it was packed in a similar box to a valve and ISTR was 10/6 plus purchase tax. This would have been 1960 I think.
I think the only transistors I ever had were yellow/green spot transistors which worked nicely for amplifying my crystal set output. Ian |
22nd Nov 2010, 1:02 pm | #13 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
I reckon you can multiply a 1960s price by 20 to get an equivalent price today. That means a 14/- OC71 would cost £14 today! That would buy a few radios now.
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22nd Nov 2010, 3:19 pm | #14 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
Hello,
There is an American price list here from 1954:- http://www.radiomuseum.org/forumdata...xt/09_Tetr.jpg I have a boxed Mullard OC16 (of the later top hat shape) with a price of 35/- (35 shillings = £1.75) on it. Yours, Richard |
22nd Nov 2010, 4:51 pm | #15 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
Those tetrode grown junction ones look interesting.
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22nd Nov 2010, 8:01 pm | #16 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
In an old Laskys advert dated September 1956 OA71...5/-. 4 to 1 output transformer for transistors 4/6d. Standard resistors 0.25w 4d. 0.5w 6d. 1w 8d. 2w 1/-. High stab 0.5w 1% 2/-.ECC82 10/-.
Try buying an output transformer for less than the cost of a diode now. Colin |
23rd Nov 2010, 10:12 am | #17 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
By comparison my wages in '56 were about £6.00 per week, petrol was around 5/- (25p) per gallon, so my weeks gross income would buy me around 24 gallons of fuel, makes it sound cheap today!
Peter |
23rd Nov 2010, 1:19 pm | #18 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
I paid £1.75 for an AF117 in 1969 to replace one in my Philips Electronic Engineer kit. That was retail from a radio shop so may have been a bit pricey. As a comparison, a low paid worker would earn about £20 per week (£250 today). Pre-decimal prices have been converted of course.
Last edited by paulsherwin; 23rd Nov 2010 at 5:51 pm. Reason: OT comment removed |
25th Nov 2010, 8:11 pm | #19 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
I have a couple of Mullard OC71's in their original boxes, the price is marked on each of the the boxes is 12 shillings and sixpence. They probably date from about 1962.
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26th Nov 2010, 1:57 pm | #20 |
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Re: What did transistors cost way back?
Thank you all for your replies, most interesting. I guess they where 2 or 3 times the cost of a valve, even then it took 'early adopters' to push a technology forward, I suppose that was always the case.
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