A ‘rare’ Australian number plate that first appeared on the road more than a century ago is expected to sell for a staggering amount.
The South Australian license plate, first issued in the early 20th century, is expected to fetch more than $1 million at auction.
Number plate No. 8 was first issued in 1906 to Arthur Earnest Ayers, son of businessman and politician Sir Henry Ayers.
More than a century later, the sign is auctioned on behalf of the South Australian Government.
With just over a day left in the auction at Slattery Auctions, the coveted license plate has already fetched a staggering $1.3 million.
Since the auction opened to the public late last month, more than 60 people have bid on the license plate, with another 1,630 people looking at it.
According to Stewart Kay, auctioneer of historic number plates, the last time the state government issued a single-digit number plate was in 1985.
“It’s very rare and special,” Key told 7News.
Number plate #8 was auctioned in South Africa. Photo: Slattery Auction
‘License plates have a very historical significance and date back 120 years when they were first issued.
He added that the beauty of a license plate is that it does not need to be repainted or maintained
“They are a kind of triple threat: they look fantastic on a car, they deliver a high return on investment and they have a certain prestige.”
According to Mr Kay, interest in license plates soared in the early 2000s, outpacing sales of vintage watches, cars and stocks.
‘People collect vintage watches, people collect old cars, stocks, all those stocks and license plates have all pretty much outperformed when you look at what they’re worth now,’
Historical plates auctioneer Stewart Kay.
Earlier this year, a historic number 1 license plate was auctioned in NSW, with bids soaring to over $10 million in the first 72 hours.
Other Slattery Auctions auction records include #55, which currently has a bid of $226,000, and #873, which has a bid of $150,100.
There is also reportedly a number plate in South Australia, registered on a van since the 1950s.
