Collecting Cars heritage plate auction achieves muti-million-dollar result
The first Australian heritage number plate auction conducted by Collecting Cars has been declared a success, with total sales in excess of $3 million. Collectable number plates from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT were consigned for the online auction, which was conducted on 25-26 June.
Leading the consignments was NSW plate ‘54’ and ACT ‘92’. Any two-digit combination is desired, but the lower the number, the better, so ahead of the auction, this pair were expected to sell well. Beyond these two, there were triple-digit NSW ‘439’ and ‘563’ plates, along with Queensland ‘303’. Additionally, NSW ‘1915’ and ‘1964’ were expected to sell well.
Other special consignments included Victorian ‘1788’ issued on a special plate to mark Australia’s Bicentenary in 1988, along with desirable number combinations and sequences that included ‘133-333’ (NSW), ‘2999’ (NSW) and ‘9-696’ (VIC).
At the conclusion of the auction period, around half the 30 plates consigned had found new buyers. Unsurprisingly, NSW ‘54’ led the way, selling for $1.3 million. With ‘563’ selling for $251,000, ‘429’ for $244,444, ‘1964’ selling for $200,000 and ‘1915’ reaching $182,000, it meant that NSW plates accounted for more than two thirds of the entire auction total.
Top seller amongst the Victorian plates was ‘9-696,’ which sold for $290,000, while the Queensland plate ‘303’ sold for $117,400. The bias toward NSW and Victorian plates in terms of collectability was reflected in the fact that ACT ‘92’ sold for only $138,000.
“The market for Australian heritage number plates remains strong,” said Lee Hallett, Head of Asia-Pacific at Collecting Cars.
“Securing $1.3 million for ‘54’ indicates the demand for highly prestigious two-digit heritage plates.
“Even speciality plates, such as the ‘1788’ Bicentenary number plates from Victoria which sold for $98,000, show Australia’s heritage plate-buying audience is large and out to buy.”
Collecting Cars’ next heritage number plate auction is scheduled for 27 August, 2024.
For more details, go to: collectingcars.com
