>>Does the term "that person specializess in... "XYZ chips" suggest to you that that person has a heightened level of knowledge about them?
How about if they just have "more" than the average collector?

If a collector specializes in something I take it to mean they have a particular interest in the "specialty". I would therefore assume that they have some knowledge about the "specialty" though that does not necessarily mean their knowledge is as great or greater than another person who does not profess to "specialize" in the area.