Customised number plates often cost more than the cars they adorn, yet demand has never been higher. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a plate sold for £250,000, far exceeding the value of many vehicles on display. The UK record for a plate at public auction stands at £518,480, set in 2014 for '25 O', while private deals have reached millions.
John Harrison, 75, known as the 'modern godfather' of autonumerology, has studied plates since childhood. He attended the annual Registration Numbers Club rally in Worcestershire, where enthusiasts gather to admire plates and hand out awards. Harrison wrote 'The Number Plate Book' and notes the hobby's appeal spans technical patterns, personal numbers, and foreign plates.
Neal Bircher, a devoted collector, owns 'NEA 1' and has owned various 'NAB' plates. He also possesses '149 PCE', the plate from Steven Spielberg's film 'Duel'. Bircher yearns for 'A1', considered the holy grail of plates, owned by Prince Jefri Bolkiah and worth multiple millions.
Richard Conway is selling '1 HRH' on his Bentley for £2.5m, a valuation some experts deem ambitious. Angela Banh of Regtransfers, the UK's largest plate broker, notes that while '1 HRH' may not be worth that figure to her firm, someone might pay it. Conway likens plate collecting to buying expensive paintings.
