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Woman donates Apple I computer to recycling center—but doesn’t realize it’s worth $200,000

The search is on to find the mystery woman.

 

Patrick Howell O'Neill

Tech

Posted on May 31, 2015   Updated on May 28, 2021, 5:17 pm CDT

Before you throw the old stuff out, run a quick Internet search to see what you’ve got on your hands. You may save yourself $200,000.

A woman in Silicon Valley dropped off an Apple I computer at a local recycling center, apparently unaware that it was worth $200,000 when later sold at an auction, U.S. News reported.

Since the center gives 50 percent of items sold back to those who donate, half that money belongs to the woman. But no one is quite sure who she is, so the search is on. She apparently found the computer while cleaning her late husband’s garage.

The Apple I was designed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ron Wayne in 1976. It sold for $600. Only 200 were ever made, so they’re increasingly valuable today.

Clean Bay Area recycling center Vice President Victor Gichun remembers what the woman looks like but doesn’t have any contact information or leads.

“To prove who she is, I just need to look at her,” Gichun said.

H/T The Next Web | Photo via MattsMacintosh/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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*First Published: May 31, 2015, 3:43 pm CDT