Hardware circuitry, in response to receiving a request for an authentication value of a plurality of authentication values of a replaceable item from a host device to which the replaceable item has been connected, determines that the authentication value was not previously sent. The circuitry responsively determines that the replaceable item previously sent a maximum number of unique authentication values of the authentication values. The maximum number of unique authentication values is less than a total number of the authentication values. The circuitry responsively sends the authentication value to the host device. The circuitry, once the authentication value has been sent or will have been sent to the host device, determines that the maximum number of unique authentication values has now been sent, and in response prohibits the authentication values that have not been sent from being sent later.