[keithwms]

Have digital prints made older process prints special or even precious?

Absolutely.

There are [at least] two fairly orthogonal ways to define value in a print:

(1) The "market" value, related to supply and demand; and
(2) The "artistic" value, which may have no relation to (1) at all and has more to do with the artistic merits as recognized by those wishing to own the art.

In the case of (1), the value of analogue prints is very clear. Analogue prints are unique, individual objects made with materials that may well soon be gone- at least from the mass market. The alt processes are also very difficult to scale up... which is of course why those kinds of prints are less attractive from a mass marketing perspective but more attractive from the standpoint of individual worth. Even flaws can become features and so forth.... which works well as long as the flaws aren't the only feature ...

In the case of (2), that is more linked to undefinables like how much the audience will value uniqueness and manu propria. My own feeling is that there will soon be a massive backlash against mass-produced art; this will strongly favor the individual contribution. I think we already see signs of that here and there, even in unexpected places like boutiques that are hawking lomos. Many (most?) people do want to be different and will tend to select art that affirms that, even if it's only in a temporary trendy way. (trends that aim to make someone seem unique do have a way of clobbering themselves... hence "temporary")

All that said, the analogue community must not rest on (1) as what defines the value of their art. There must be more, there should be more, than just being different from whatever else is out there. What disturbs me is the notion that just because a photograph was made with film and traditional printing, it is more artistic. Absolutely false!!! And people who believe that will continue to drain their own financial resources and seldom see return on investment In my view, there needs to be some harmony between the artistic vision and the methods of the artist, and simply taking the same shot on film that one might take on a dslr does not make it more valuable in the sense of (2). It might in the sense of (1) but not (2)...

Then there is (3) the value of the artist's experience which is entirely separate from (1) and (2)....