Rare Q1 Microcomputer Found in London Sells for £37,179

A routine house clearance in London has turned into a find of real significance for computing history. In 2023, workers from the British firm Just Clear came across two old computers that had sat among boxes for years: a 1972 Q1 and a Q1 Lite, early desktop microcomputers of which very few examples are known.

According to Heritage Auctions, the two machines were two of only three surviving Q1 units on record at the time they were discovered.

A desktop computer from before Apple

Production of the original Q1 began in December 1972, four years before the Apple I appeared. It used an 8-bit Intel 8008 microprocessor and combined screen, keyboard and printer in a single body, which makes it one of the first integrated desktop computers.

Beyond its rarity, the Q1 matters because it was out of reach for most people. Aimed at professional environments, it carried a prohibitive price for the era. Even so, it marked a step towards miniaturisation at a time when much computing equipment still filled entire rooms.

From storage to the auction block

In February 2024, several months after the discovery, the machines went on display at Kingston University alongside other historic computers. Heritage Auctions then held its first sale of them. The original Q1 fetched £37,179, a little over €44,500, while the Q1 Lite sold for £8,316, nearly €10,000.

The find recovers two key pieces from the early years of personal computing, when manufacturers were beginning to experiment with more compact machines. More than half a century after they were built, and after an unknown number of years forgotten in storage, they have become collectors' items and tangible witnesses to the origins of the modern PC.