Woman tosses Apple 1 computer worth $200,000

One woman's trash ended up being a recycling firm's treasure.

A Silicon Valley e-waste recycling firm is trying to find a woman who dropped off her unwanted computer without knowing the bulky machine was worth thousands of dollars.

CleanBayArea sold the woman's rare Apple 1 computer at auction for $200,000. The company's policy is to split half the proceeds with the original owner, so if they can find the woman she's in for quite the payday.

"I ask this lady, please come over to our warehouse…and we'll give you check for $100,000," CleanBayArea Vice President Victor Gichun told NBC Bay Area.

The woman, who said her husband recently died and she wanted to clean up their garage, did not request a tax receipt and did not want to leave her name, according to Gichun.

A few weeks later, when employees were rummaging through the boxes, they were shocked to find an Apple 1 Computer, Gichun told NBC. He says that only 200 Apple 1 computers were ever made.

"We really couldn't believe our eyes," Gichun said. "We thought it was fake."

:story: USA Today