Did anyone here recently drop an Apple I computer off at a recycling center?

[GGD]

There's a $100,000 check waiting for you.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_2...le-i-donor

MILPITAS -- It turns out that one person's junk is indeed someone else's treasure.

A South Bay recycling firm is looking for a woman who, in early April, dropped off boxes of electronics that she had cleaned out from her house after her husband died. About two weeks later, the firm, Clean Bay Area, discovered inside one of the boxes a rare find: a vintage Apple I, one of only about 200 first-generation desktop computers put together by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne in 1976.

The recycling firm sold the Apple I this month for $200,000 to a private collection, Vice President Victor Gichun said. And now, because company policy is to split proceeds 50-50 with the donor, he's looking for the mystery woman who refused to get a receipt or leave her name.

"We are looking for her to give her $100,000," Gichun said.
.....

[Speedy]

I'm impressed with the 50/50 policy of the recycling company! Doesn't bear any resemblance to any recycling company I've ever used.

[space-time]

If some other woman comes in to claim it, how to they prove it is not her?

[RgrF]

space-time wrote:
If some other woman comes in to claim it, how to they prove it is not her?

Fire it up? Oh wait it's gone.

Presumably they have an idea of the whereabouts it came from on the other hand who is really going to step up and tough out such a claim without backup.

[Janit]

space-time wrote:
If some other woman comes in to claim it, how to they prove it is not her?

If they share profits in this way, they must have a system for inventorying and attributing all donations for the purposes of future reimbursement. Even if the donor is "anonymous," I expect there will be a lot number with a list of contents, when and where dropped off, etc. I would ask anyone making a claim to provide identifying information about the lot that no one else would have. What does she remember about the specifics? Does she have a photo of an assortment of the donated equipment in situ in her house (not just the Apple I)?

[SDGuy]

Yeah - that sounds about right; a guy sets aside a really cool piece of equipment, the woman in his life decides to toss it...

(come to think of it, that's how I ended up with my car a few years ago - the widow just wanted to clear out the garage, so got it for her asking price, about 2/3 of the market value):

[Speedy]

They just released a security cam photo of the gal:

[max]

Watch her demand the entire 200,000....

[GGD]

Maybe I'm too cynical, but I think there's something fishy about this whole thing. Why did he quickly sell it via a private auction before trying to locate her.

If he truly felt that it was possibly donated by mistake wouldn't he try to return the original item rather than selling it.

I also wonder if the buyer would have wanted more documentation of it's history beyond "we found it in a box" before paying $200K. Maybe that's why they're really trying to located this lady.

I've also wondered if the lady, computer, and auction even existed, or if this is just some way to get free publicity.

As I said, maybe I'm too cynical.

[ka jowct]

SDGuy wrote:
Yeah - that sounds about right; a guy sets aside a really cool piece of equipment, the woman in his life decides to toss it

Let's not put the blame all on women. It makes me sick to think of some of the stuff that vanished when my dad had to move from the family farmhouse. He did it in a state of near panic, according to my brother. I was not in a position to take time off from my work to keep an eye on things when the auction happened, nor in a position to haul a carload of stuff back east.