The Kingston University - found in a house clearance in the capital - has sold for £37,179.

The Q1 desktop micro computer with an internal printer, from 1972, uncovered along with its slightly later sibling the Q1 Lite, were the world's first fully integrated desktop computers. The Q1 Lite achieved £8,316 at the auction.

As two of the three last-known surviving Q1s, they were discovered last year when waste firm Just Clear were cleaning out a London property. They also found a Q1 desktop companion printer for the Q1 Lite, which went for £1,175.

The three historic devices were offered with no reserve by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.

The machines featured at a February exhibition of early computers and gaming machines at Kingston University in London titled Creating the Everything Device: Showcasing the Machines That Built the Future.

The 1976 Q1 Lite. (Photo: Heritage Auction via SWNS)

The Q1 hit the market four years before Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs introduced the Apple 1. They would have sold for the then-equivalent of upwards of £70k each; too pricey to be marketed for individual use.

Valarie Spiegel, Heritage's Director of Video Games, says: "There are very few surviving examples of these historic items, making this a landmark occasion at Heritage Auction.

"The shift to a microprocessor-based architecture allowed the Q1 to punch well above its weight and support capabilities usually reserved for larger systems.

"This early machine's capabilities were impressive and set a precedent in the computing industry; it hinted at the future of personal computing and marked a pivotal moment in technological history, demonstrating the vast potential of microcomputers to transform both professional and personal computing landscapes."

Previous to the auction, Sara Balbi, managing director of Heritage Auctions' London office, said: "Keep in mind these have never been to auction, and there is no record or precedent set for them. We'll have to see what the market decides."

The Heritage Auctions sale ended 24 May.