An older woman did not realize her unwanted computer remains were valued at $200,000 after she dropped off the boxes at an electronic recycling shop.
"She dropped off a couple boxes like that,” said Clean Bay Area Vice President Victor Gichun.
Gichun says the woman cleaned out her late husband’s garage and dropped off two boxes. She didn't want a tax receipt, and didn't want to leave her contact information.
"We really couldn't believe our eyes. We thought it was fake,” Gichun said upon digging through the boxes a few weeks after they were dropped off.
Inside was an Apple One computer, Gichun said. About 200 were made, and they’re extremely valuable.
"It was the first computer that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created in their garage and it was sort of this breakthrough in personal computing,” said Computer Science Professor David Crandall.
The company policy is to give 50 percent of all items sold back to the original owner. For the computer, they fetched $200,000 in a private auction.
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In case you’re thinking of running down there to collect a check, Gichun knows what she looks like. He just doesn’t know her name. Now he wants to find this mystery woman to thank her, and make her rich.
"I ask this lady, please come over to our warehouse in Milpitas again, and we'll give you check $100,000,” Gichun said.
