Woman tosses vintage Apple computer valued at $200K

A recycling center in the Silicon Valley is reportedly looking for a woman who has recently dropped off a first-generation Apple computer at the center, donating one of the most treasured items in computer history.

The computer was inside boxes of electronics that she had cleaned out from her garage after her husband died, said Victor Gichun, the vice president of Clean Bay Area.

She did not want a tax receipt or leave her contact information, and it was not until a few weeks later that workers opened the boxes to discover an Apple I computer inside.

The San Jose Mercury News reported it was one of only about 200 first-generation desktop computers assembled by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne in 1976.

"We really couldn't believe our eyes. We thought it was fake," Gichun told KNTV-TV.

The recycling firm sold the Apple I for $200,000 to a private collection, and because the company gives 50 percent of items sold back to the original owner, Gichun said he wants to split the proceeds with the mystery donor.

He said he remembers what she looks like and is asking her to come back to claim her $100,000 check.