We’re all divided into two types of people: those who like a minimalist living area and those who are hoarders.  The minimalists will regularly throw out items they no longer require (or if they can be bothered, they’ll sell stuff online or take them to charity shops).  The hoarders meanwhile will have more in their attics and cupboards than you’ll find in that warehouse you see at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.  The only time they’ll part with anything is when they themselves are placed into a box and stored away … six feet underground.

Minimalists do not often make news headlines.  “Man Chucks out Rubbish on a Regular Basis” does not make interesting reading.  You won’t find documentary crews piling into their homes to film all the things they do not possess.  “Woman Throws out Old Thing Worth Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars” is slightly more interesting though.  Yes, it has happened recently and it will make you regret having ever thrown out old gadgets or bits of antiquated tech.

What's in the Box?

We’re told in popular song that those in San Francisco wear flowers in their hair.  We have also discovered that they chuck out old Apples.  A recycling centre by the name of Clean Bay Area received a box of old components and computers.  It was dropped off by a mature lady who was having something of a clear-out following the death of her husband.  Unfortunately, one of the items in the box was a rare Apple I computer.

The Apple I was not only the very first computer produced by Apple, it was also limited edition with only 200 produced when they went on sale in 1976.  The retail price was a mere $666.66.  Quite a lot of money back then.  Well, it’s quite a lot of money now!  These days, if you discover an Apple I in your attic you can expect to sell it for around $200,000.  That’s £131,000 to us British folk.

Disposable Society

Clean Bay Area is now attempting to track down the donor.  After the lady dropped off her box of recycling, it lay in a corner for a couple of weeks until someone discovered the contents.  The lady didn’t wish to be given a receipt and – as Clean Bay Area has now sold-on the Apple I – they wish to supply her with her cut of the proceeds.

We are continually informed that we live in a disposable society.  Back in the ‘70s, if an appliance broke, we would get it repaired.  These days everything is much cheaper, so it’s easier and more financially sound to just replace it.  We then throw out the old gadget or take it to a recycling centre.  Imagine if you kept hold of all your old gadgets and appliances!  Those old calculators, telephones, record players, TVs and computers could be worth a small fortune.

Really Saying Something

But you just know that someone somewhere has an old gadget in their loft, gathering dust and it’s worth a fortune.  It’s just a shame that the rest of us only have in our lofts an old Christmas tree and a box full of cassette tapes of Bananarama.

For the original article about the Apple I, please click here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19665632
 


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