What are these ISKRA resistors worth? - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

TheGoodGuy · 5th Jun 2016, 7:13 pm

TheGoodGuy · 5th Jun 2016, 11:21 pm

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Refugee · 6th Jun 2016, 12:55 pm

Would they not be worth the same as any other 1960s carbon film resistors?
They just do not look special to me.
Just check out the on line prices.

6th Jun 2016, 3:30 pm

A few pence each, assuming someone wants them, if not zero.

turretslug · 6th Jun 2016, 4:38 pm

No-nonsense workaday stuff, useful to hobbyists- but as said, no fortune to be had there. If they're not in the way, don't bin them though, as wire-ended components of any sort are useful as the OEM world goes SMD. Some rather unexceptional resistors have acquired mystical status and attract curious demand but I don't think any exalted prophets have pronounced on Iskras- I may be wrong, though, it's a curious and shifting world.

greg_simons · 6th Jun 2016, 5:32 pm

Like these resistors a lot and have repaired a few high end valve amps with them, not heard of resistors getting mythical status among audiophools in the same way as some especially oil filled capacitors have.

Ti Pwun · 6th Jun 2016, 6:05 pm

Definitely worth keeping - I have packets of old resistors that I keep for old gear when I'm bothered about something new/modern looking out of place.

I'd say grab a 12 drawer storage unit and sort them into order if you have enough. If you don't want to keep them yourself I've seen drawers or components like that selling on eBay. The only downside, really, is that people will assume they are well out of spec by now.

Skywave · 6th Jun 2016, 6:06 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by greg_simons

. . . not heard of resistors getting mythical status among audiophools in the same way as some especially oil filled capacitors have.

Ah - but in that fraternity when it comes to making any changes that might "improve the sound", their resistance to such a change is remarkably low. But I don't move in such elevated circles, so I'm not sure about the "tolerance".

Al.

Lucien Nunes · 6th Jun 2016, 7:43 pm

These have a specific appeal to people rebuilding, servicing and making replicas of certain famous guitar amps, mainly for the visuals rather than any electrical characteristics. If you want to make your tagboard look exactly like an original Marshall one, you'll need Iskra resistors. Some values will probably be much more sought after than others, but they are not so scarce as to command very high prices. I agree they are reliable resistors and generally fine for use as NOS.
As per above, worth trawling for online offers and sale results as a price guide.

Herald1360 · 7th Jun 2016, 8:56 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by greg_simons

not heard of resistors getting mythical status among audiophools in the same way as some especially oil filled capacitors have.

There's definitely a few - early Holsworthy metal film precision resistors seem to be getting that way. Not unwelcome when I found some lurking

trh01uk · 7th Jun 2016, 9:29 am

Have you actually measured any of these resistors to see whether their values are within tolerance?

If not - I would put zero value on them. Who is going to want to fit an out of tolerance resistor into something they are restoring?

Richard

Ti Pwun · 7th Jun 2016, 11:32 am

My point exactly. I have lots of really old, well within tolerance resistors that have tarnished leads that I will clean up if I have an open resistor that I need to replace with something that looks the part...

...but I have my share of old, cosmetically perfect resistors that are double the value they should be, or completely open. If I could be bothered I'd sort through them and bin all the bad ones but that would be a job in itself, so I just throw them away when I find them.

Too useful to throw them all away, but seldom used. If you have them, you have them. But I would never buy them, knowing that they may well be junk. There are plenty of brand new metal film resistors out there that would not look out of place in old gear.

If the look matters, that is. Not something I worry about. Bright blue metal film resistors are fine by me as long as long as the thing stays reliable for a long time after a repair.

David G4EBT · 7th Jun 2016, 12:01 pm

The resistors look attractive new old stock. Some are wire-wound, so won't have changed in value, and I doubt that that the others will have done either. Yes, old carbon composition ones drift high over time - often quite appreciably, but I'm not sure that the Iskra ones will have done, though a few quick tests would verify that. (I've got some which look identical, which I've had 'in stock' since the early 1990s and having checked a few, they're spot on).

Price wise, e-bay is as good a guide as any.

There are lots of offerings of Iskra resistors on e-bay at 'buy it now prices', but many are in quite large batches of one value, and some are of little used values. Lots appear to be from sellers in Slovenia, so maybe that's where they were manufactured? There seems to be some demand for making replica guitar special effects gizmos and for audio applications.

I think the best chance of realising a good price for them and selling them more quickly would be to make up batches of several values - say 10 or 20 each of say 20 different values. That would make it attractive to potential buyers, and worthwhile posting, which I think would cost no more for 400 than for ten. But clearly it would be time consuming to put the packs together and the offer price needs to reflect the packaging and e-bay fees etc, and will probably amount to little financial benefit on such small value items. (Current production .6W resistors in the UK are no more than a penny each).

I buy lots of components on e-bay, mostly from China, sometimes the UK, but of the Iskra offerings I've looked at, they're either just a few of one value, or say 1,000 of one value, and I don't think that would appeal to most potential buyers - certainly not to me. On the other hand, a couple of examples that I've recently bought are a pack of 10 each of 24 values of Mylar capacitors, and five each of 12 values of miniature present pots. Had they been offered singly, I wouldn't have bought any.

Hope that helps a bit.

Good luck in disposing of them.

mhennessy · 8th Jun 2016, 9:29 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by trh01uk

Have you actually measured any of these resistors to see whether their values are within tolerance?

The bulk of them - the ones with the beige bodies - are carbon film, I believe. I have a bunch here - small ones - and they measure within spec whenever I check them prior to fitting them to a vintage radio or similar.

A year or two back we were talking about how to identify resistors, and these ones are actually an interesting "exception to the rule", in that they don't have the characteristic "dog bone" shape that typifies a film resistor. Indeed, at a glance, they could easily be mistaken for carbon-composition types if you hadn't seen them before. However, hold them up to the light at the right angle, and you can clearly see the spiral cut in the film through the layers of paint.

So, nice resistors that I'd have no hesitation using in a restoration project. No idea if they're valuable. My batch (several thousand) cost me £1 back in 1992, if that's any indication.

5th Jun 2016, 7:13 pm	#1
TheGoodGuy Diode Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Celje, Slovenia Posts: 2	What are these ISKRA resistors worth? I have some vintage ISKRA resistors and I can't determine what a fair price would be. Any suggestions? http://shrani.si/f/1g/rC/4h8YABFU/1/p6056965.jpg http://shrani.si/f/1Y/d8/4aFJwJay/1/p6056972.jpg http://shrani.si/f/3o/13F/1AXJlLOd/1/p6056973.jpg http://shrani.si/f/23/ol/10sWiyGi/1/p6056976.jpg http://shrani.si/f/1y/he/3LJ8AVwS/1/p6056977.jpg http://shrani.si/f/a/TX/4TLAhM7u/1/p6056978.jpg http://shrani.si/f/1h/sA/UdFYSOv/1/p6056985.jpg http://shrani.si/f/1l/mR/4Yqp5BQx/1/p6056987.jpg http://shrani.si/f/40/zD/200DECoD/1/p6056992.jpg http://shrani.si/f/31/v9/383oOHnU/1/p6056998.jpg http://shrani.si/f/2o/ei/3Iqc1pOW/1/p6057001.jpg Pictures: Attached Thumbnails

5th Jun 2016, 11:21 pm	#2
TheGoodGuy Diode Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Celje, Slovenia Posts: 2	Re: What are these ISKRA resistors worth? More pictures: Attached Thumbnails

6th Jun 2016, 12:55 pm	#3
Refugee Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK. Posts: 5,554	Re: What are these ISKRA resistors worth? Would they not be worth the same as any other 1960s carbon film resistors? They just do not look special to me. Just check out the on line prices.

6th Jun 2016, 3:30 pm	#4
Guest Guest Posts: n/a	Re: What are these ISKRA resistors worth? A few pence each, assuming someone wants them, if not zero.

6th Jun 2016, 4:38 pm	#5
turretslug Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Surrey, UK. Posts: 4,397	Re: What are these ISKRA resistors worth? No-nonsense workaday stuff, useful to hobbyists- but as said, no fortune to be had there. If they're not in the way, don't bin them though, as wire-ended components of any sort are useful as the OEM world goes SMD. Some rather unexceptional resistors have acquired mystical status and attract curious demand but I don't think any exalted prophets have pronounced on Iskras- I may be wrong, though, it's a curious and shifting world.

6th Jun 2016, 5:32 pm	#6
greg_simons Octode Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Evesham, Worcestershire, UK. Posts: 1,423	Re: What are these ISKRA resistors worth? Like these resistors a lot and have repaired a few high end valve amps with them, not heard of resistors getting mythical status among audiophools in the same way as some especially oil filled capacitors have.

6th Jun 2016, 6:05 pm	#7
Ti Pwun Heptode Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 888	Re: What are these ISKRA resistors worth? Definitely worth keeping - I have packets of old resistors that I keep for old gear when I'm bothered about something new/modern looking out of place. I'd say grab a 12 drawer storage unit and sort them into order if you have enough. If you don't want to keep them yourself I've seen drawers or components like that selling on eBay. The only downside, really, is that people will assume they are well out of spec by now.

6th Jun 2016, 7:43 pm	#9
Lucien Nunes Rest in Peace Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: London, UK. Posts: 2,508	Re: What are these ISKRA resistors worth? These have a specific appeal to people rebuilding, servicing and making replicas of certain famous guitar amps, mainly for the visuals rather than any electrical characteristics. If you want to make your tagboard look exactly like an original Marshall one, you'll need Iskra resistors. Some values will probably be much more sought after than others, but they are not so scarce as to command very high prices. I agree they are reliable resistors and generally fine for use as NOS. As per above, worth trawling for online offers and sale results as a price guide.

7th Jun 2016, 9:29 am	#11
trh01uk Octode Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, UK. Posts: 1,654	Re: What are these ISKRA resistors worth? Have you actually measured any of these resistors to see whether their values are within tolerance? If not - I would put zero value on them. Who is going to want to fit an out of tolerance resistor into something they are restoring? Richard

7th Jun 2016, 11:32 am	#12
Ti Pwun Heptode Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 888	Re: What are these ISKRA resistors worth? My point exactly. I have lots of really old, well within tolerance resistors that have tarnished leads that I will clean up if I have an open resistor that I need to replace with something that looks the part... ...but I have my share of old, cosmetically perfect resistors that are double the value they should be, or completely open. If I could be bothered I'd sort through them and bin all the bad ones but that would be a job in itself, so I just throw them away when I find them. Too useful to throw them all away, but seldom used. If you have them, you have them. But I would never buy them, knowing that they may well be junk. There are plenty of brand new metal film resistors out there that would not look out of place in old gear. If the look matters, that is. Not something I worry about. Bright blue metal film resistors are fine by me as long as long as the thing stays reliable for a long time after a repair.

7th Jun 2016, 12:01 pm	#13
David G4EBT Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Cottingham, East Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 5,763	Re: What are these ISKRA resistors worth? The resistors look attractive new old stock. Some are wire-wound, so won't have changed in value, and I doubt that that the others will have done either. Yes, old carbon composition ones drift high over time - often quite appreciably, but I'm not sure that the Iskra ones will have done, though a few quick tests would verify that. (I've got some which look identical, which I've had 'in stock' since the early 1990s and having checked a few, they're spot on). Price wise, e-bay is as good a guide as any. There are lots of offerings of Iskra resistors on e-bay at 'buy it now prices', but many are in quite large batches of one value, and some are of little used values. Lots appear to be from sellers in Slovenia, so maybe that's where they were manufactured? There seems to be some demand for making replica guitar special effects gizmos and for audio applications. I think the best chance of realising a good price for them and selling them more quickly would be to make up batches of several values - say 10 or 20 each of say 20 different values. That would make it attractive to potential buyers, and worthwhile posting, which I think would cost no more for 400 than for ten. But clearly it would be time consuming to put the packs together and the offer price needs to reflect the packaging and e-bay fees etc, and will probably amount to little financial benefit on such small value items. (Current production .6W resistors in the UK are no more than a penny each). I buy lots of components on e-bay, mostly from China, sometimes the UK, but of the Iskra offerings I've looked at, they're either just a few of one value, or say 1,000 of one value, and I don't think that would appeal to most potential buyers - certainly not to me. On the other hand, a couple of examples that I've recently bought are a pack of 10 each of 24 values of Mylar capacitors, and five each of 12 values of miniature present pots. Had they been offered singly, I wouldn't have bought any. Hope that helps a bit. Good luck in disposing of them. __________________ David. BVWS Member. G-QRP Club member 1339.