A Bay Area recycling center is attempting to track down an unidentified woman who dropped off a 1976-model Apple I in April, after the computer sold to a private collector for $200,000 this month.
A working Apple I that sold for nearly $1 million at auction last year. | Source: Bonhams
The computer was one of the first batch of 200 hand-assembled by Apple co-founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ron Wayne in the company's first year of operation. The woman is being sought because it is the center's policy to split sale proceeds with donors, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
"We are looking for her to give her $100,000," Clean Bay Area vice president Victor Gichun told the paper.
"She said, 'I want to get rid of this stuff and clean up my garage,'" Gichun added. "I said, 'Do you need a tax receipt?' and she said, 'No, I don't need anything.'"
The Apple I was Apple's first product, and famously cost $666.66 when it was introduced in 1976. It has become one of the most sought-after Silicon Valley artifacts in recent hears, with a working model selling for $905,000 at auction last fall.