Australia’s most expensive number plate breaks record
Australia’s most rare licence plate has broken records in the days before it is set to be auctioned off, with the single-digit number plate expected to sell for over $10 million.
Heritage number plates are in high demand amongst collectors, with the first plates coming out of each state only branded with a single number.
The first ever NSW heritage plate, which was first made for the state's first police commissioner, is being auctioned off for the first time in over a century, with the plate simply reading “1” attracting nation-wide attention.
The plate was last year listed on Lloyds Auctions, where bidding soared to over $10 million within the first 72 hours on the site.
Lloyds described the plates as “the holy grail must-have for any blue-chip passion investor or the no. 1 gift for that person who has ‘everything’.”
Lloyds Auctions chief operations officer Lee Hames called the plate a “unicorn” and said the public auction listing was “truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.
“Generally, rare heritage plates such as these are usually passed down through generations within families,” Hames said.
After being made for the police commissioner in 1910, the number 1 plate was then handed over to Sir Fredrick Stewart, the founding chairman of Australian National Airways, who held onto the plates until his death.
The extraordinary value comes from the rarity of the plates, with only nine single digit number plates available in each state and territory.
“These are as rare as hens’ teeth and the perfect addition to any rare classic or prestige vehicle,” Mr Hames continued.
“In fact, you could potentially say that the number plate will be most likely worth MORE than the car you put it on.”
At its current bidding levels, NSW 1 will be the most expensive number plate ever to sell in Australia.
Image credits: Lloyds Auctions