Rare 112-year-old number plate sells for almost £250,000 at auction – does yours have a hidden value?
A RARE number plate which was first registered in 1907 has sold for a whopping £243,000 at auction.
The vintage single-digit plate - AJ1 - gained plenty of interest when it went under the hammer at Wilsons Auctions Belfast on June 27.
The unique registration was first used by chief constable of the North Riding constabulary, Sir Robert Bowyer in 1907.
Since then, it has been used by the North Yorkshire Police on countless vehicles.
But after 112 years, the plate was put up for sale by the county's police department.
And the funds from the sale are expected to go towards two community projects, a memorial garden and a community safety campaign.
An anonymous buyer managed to secure the prized possession, despite their being plenty of interest at the auction.
Single letter plates are rare in the UK, and can attract massive valuations when they go up for sale.
Even seemingly average plates hold a certain value, some selling for as much £600,000.
So if you own a shorter registration, you could be sitting on a number plate gold mine and not even know it.
Depending on the last three letters, a 19-plate registration can be sold for around £1,000.
And if you car is registered with a 10-plate it's even more valuable, netting you around £1,499.
Example number plates and their values
While specific plates may vary slightly, the following combinations generally fall into these price categories:
- New style registrations £150-£4,999: e.g. NA51 USA - £350
- Triple letter combinations with suffix year letters £199-£6,999: e.g. SUE 694R - £1,599
- Triple letter combinations with prefix year letters £199-£6,599: e.g. G4 ABC - £1,099
- Triple letter suffix combinations without year letters £499-£60,000: e.g. 4 JGM - £6,999
- Triple letter prefix combinations without year letters £699-£75,000: e.g. BPS 2 - £8,599
- Double letter suffix combinations £699-£150,000: e.g. 6 WO - £30,999
- Double letter prefix combinations £799-£200,000: e.g. VN 442 - £2,199
- Single letter suffix combinations £1,599-£500,000: e.g. 4763 C - £3,999
- Single letter suffix combinations £1,799-£600,000: e.g. A 247 - £15,599
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John Ardill, general manager at Wilsons Auctions, said: "This was a fantastic outcome for the sale of this very unique number plate.
"The auction received a lot of attention across the UK and there was an electric atmosphere in the auction hall on the night with a great mix of physical, phone and online bids.
"We are thrilled to have achieved £243,000 for North Yorkshire PFCC with proceeds being used across two very worthwhile causes."
Earlier this week, we revealed a vintage 1927 Bentley racer which won the coveted Le Mans 24 Hours was expected to sell for £2million at auction.