After numerical number plates were quietly removed from the Vplates website in July 2023, buyers will soon have the opportunity to purchase new numerical plate combinations this month.
Following several record-breaking number plate auctions in 2024, buyers will soon have the chance to purchase new Victorian numerical combinations for the first time in more than a year.
Victoria’s Custom Plates – the official arm of VicRoads responsible for the sale of new personalised number plates – has announced it will host an auction in late October for 13 numerical combinations.
All combinations will be finished in white-on-black ‘Prestige’ style – a printed number plate with a smooth finish, rather than embossed aluminium – with both a standard size plate and a slimline plate included in the set.
While heritage numbers plates are numbered between 1 and 285.000 – and finished in the distinctive vitreous enamel – numerical plates are considered those between 300.000 and 999.999, and are typically worth less.
As reported by Drive, VicRoads pulled numerical plates from sale on 1 July 2023 – with the upcoming auction being the first opportunity for buyers to obtain new combinations.
MORE: Limited heritage number plate release announced
Nine of the 13 total combinations on offer begin with ‘888’, with ‘393.993’, ‘441.141’, ‘600.111’, and ‘966.699’ also available.
The number eight is considered lucky in China and other cultures in Asia, due to it sounding similar to the Mandarin word for ‘generating wealth/fortune’.
In February 2024, Donington Auctions broke a record for six-digit plates, selling numerical combination ‘888.888’ for $272,000.
However, that record was shortlived, with heritage combination ‘123.456’ selling in August 2024 for $363,000 – with both of the record-breaking plates being from Victoria.
It’s been a big year for number plate auction records in Australia, with Victoria ’20’ selling for $2.54 million in June 2024, while Queensland ‘Q1’ and NSW ‘1’ both sold at the same auction in January 2024 for $6.08 million and $12.4 million respectively.
MORE: NSW number plate sells for over $1.5 million at auction
The record for the most amount paid at auction for an Australian number plate combination had held since 2017 when NSW ‘4’ sold for $2.45 million.
While Australian heritage number plates remain some of the most valuable in the world, Dubai number plate ‘P7’ sold for the most amount on record, changing hands in April 2023 for 55 million Dirhams ($AU22.8 million at the time).
The Custom Plates auction will begin on Thursday 24 October 2024 at 10am AEDT and will end on Thursday 31 October 2024 at 7pm AEDT.
To view the catalogue, visit the Donington Auctions website by clicking here.
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