Top 15 Most Pricey License Plates Ever Sold
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 Top 13 Weirdest License Plates Around the World |
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The World's Most Expensive License Plates
The vanity plate, which bears the letters "P7," was auctioned off in April 2023 in Dubai and sold for $15 million.There are only two characters on the all-white vanity plate, which Emirates Auction is selling: "P7." Probably the most expensive license plate ever made. On April 8, the auction house tweeted about the sale. The winning bidder's identity has not yet been made public by the authorities.
The vanity license plate "P7" is not the first to sell for such a high price in the United Arab Emirates. In 2008, a license plate sold for about $14 million (52 million dirhams), breaking the previous record. That license plate, which only had the number "1," belonged to Saeed Abdul Ghafour Khouri, a multibillionaire businessman.
Why are license plates commanding such high prices in Dubai?
A license plate number appears to the untrained eye to be nothing more than a piece of metal with an identification number stamped on it. These license plate numbers, however, represent prestige and class for those with means. The most expensive license plate numbers in the world are discussed in this post, but not just because people are willing to pay a lot for them.
Some of the buyers of these number plates present at these auctions are luxury collectors who want to own the best in luxury. As a result, they may have a collection of the priciest cars or private jets.
The key to the solution is bragging rights. The "ultra-rich" use vanity plates to flaunt their status and wealth by spending a lot of money on them. Additionally, Dubai does not impose an income tax, which makes money for residents last longer. It is a city of strong, safe, and kind people. So, everyone aspires to display their status.
Some buyers purchase low-number license plates and keep them in the hopes of one day reselling them for a profit. When achieving that is the ultimate goal, buyers might not even install them on their cars out of concern that it will devalue them.
However, some purchasers do attach the license plates to their vehicles—especially when they are operating flashy makes. A fancy car and a pricey license plate serve as a "biometric swipe card into any opulent establishment," according to the publication.
Vanity plates are typically affordable in the United States. But there are exceptions: A Delaware license plate sold for more than $400,000 in 2018. Rare license plates are similarly expensive elsewhere. A Hong Kong plate recently sold for about $3 million (26 million Hong Kong dollars).
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| World's Most Expensive License Plates in 2023 |
Top 15 most expensive license plates in the world of all time
1. F1 – Dh167.94m ($45m)
Afzal Kahn, a car designer, paid £440,000 ($573,640) in 2008 for this license plate, which Essex County Council in England first issued in 1904.
His website states that he has declined numerous offers totaling several million dollars for the plate and that he won't sell it "until there is an absolutely fantastic offer." A number plate supplier website, Regtransfers, lists it for $45.72 million.
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| The most expensive license plates of all time |
2. MM – Dh89.2m ($18.1m)
The California plate MM is attempting to break the record for most expensive plate number sold. It is up for sale for 5,888 ether and is currently valued at Dh89.2 million ($18.1 million).
In addition to being one of only 35 two-letter plates produced, this two-character plate is special because neither one is like the other.
Additionally, there is an option to buy the complementary NFT.
3. New York – Dh73.4m ($20m)
The only "New York" license plate that is street legal has belonged to the same family since the 1970s. On the opulent classifieds website duPont Registry, the license plate and the Volvo V70 car to which it is attached were listed for sale with a $20 million price tag.
4. 1 – Dh52.2m ($14.2m)
Saeed Khouri, an Abu Dhabi billionaire, spent 50 times the initial Dh1 million price during a charity auction in the emirate in 2008. He stated at the time that the plate would be for personal use only.
5. AA9 – Dh38m ($10.3m)
At the Most Noble Numbers auction in May of last year, the AA9 license plate was one of four that were sold.
Selling unusual license plates and cellphone numbers, the Roads and Transports Authority of the Emirate of Dubai held a charity auction to raise money for the 100 Million Meals initiative.
The AA9 plate eventually sold for Dh38 million after competitive bidding, while three other plates—U31, T38, and E51—earned Dh6.85 million.
6. AA8 – Dh35m ($9.5m)
The AA8 number plate, a new addition to the list, was sold for Dh35 million on Saturday at the Most Noble Numbers auction to benefit the One Billion Meals program.
7. D5 – Dh33m ($8.9m)
Balvinder Sahni, an Indian businessman residing in Dubai, spent Dh33 million for plate D5 for one of his Rolls-Royce cars at an RTA auction in 2016.
8. 5 – Dh25.2m ($6.8m)
At an auction in Abu Dhabi in 2007, billionaire Emirati Talal Ali Khouri purchased the No. 5 plate for Dh25.2 million. At the same auction, he also paid Dh11m for the No. 7 plate.
According to news agency Wam at the time, both license plates were worth about ten times the value of the high-end vehicles they were mounted on.
9. 9 – Dh24.5m ($6.8m)
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| 9 was the first of our entries from the United Arab Emirates |
According to an interview with The National, Balvinder Sahni donated the Dh24.5 million he won at plate O9's 2015 auction to a charity that was constructing a children's hospital.
The first of our submissions from the United Arab Emirates was number 9, which sold twice for enormous sums. The initial deal was made for $2.8 million in 2008, and the price fell to $2.7 million in 2010.
Due to Dubai's lack of an income tax, the pleased owner, property developer Balwinder Sahni, claims that the large purchase will enable him to donate to charities and rebuild the city's infrastructure.
10. 7 – Dh13.4m ($3.9m)
In 2016, an unnamed Emirati businessman purchased plate No. 7 to commemorate the seven emirates, as well as because it is a lucky number.
11. 28 – Hong Kong: $2.1 Million
One recurring theme among the most expensive number plates in the world is a low plate number, like the reliable number 28. In addition to having the same pronunciation as the Cantonese word for "easy money," 28 was offered for sale in Hong Kong in 2016.
In 1973, Hong Kong started selling desired license plate numbers at auction, with the money going to charity. Lucky 28's owner is unknown because they placed their offer through a proxy agency.
12. 18 – Hong Kong: $2 Million
No. 18 was the most expensive license plate in Hong Kong for almost a decade, selling for $2 million in 2008.
The number 18, which is said to be pronounced "shi ba," is said to be lucky because it resembles the letters for the phrase "shi fa," which means "will undoubtedly become wealthy."
13. NSW 4 – New South Wales, Australia: $2 Million
The owner of the most expensive license plate in Australia is Chinese billionaire Peter Tseng, the world's largest producer of sex toys. He paid $2 million for the plate at an auction in 2017 despite the belief that the number four is unlucky.
Because it resembles the word "death" in both pinyin and cantonese, the number four is said to bring bad luck in Chinese culture.
14. 11 – Abu Dhabi: $1.8 Million
Abu Dhabi plate No. 11 has twice been sold for astronomical sums in the past 20 years. The first deal, for $1.4 million, happened in May 2007. It was once more sold on November 19th, 2016, this time for $1.8 million.
No. 11 is owned by businessman from the Emirati Abu Mohammad, who also took home plate No. 7 at the same auction. (Continued below).
15. V – Hong Kong: $1.8 Million
Uncertainty surrounds the purchaser of Hong Kong's license plate V at the Transport Department's Lunar New Year auction, which took place in February 2017.
The mysterious woman's payment of $1.8 million, which was 2,600 times greater than the HK$5,000 reservation fee, is known.
