The May 2022 DVLA Auction produced some lofty prices, particularly for the first three lots on price alone. The top plate by price was PAT 3K which is a name related plate with an association to the Swiss Watchmaker PATEK. The second plate in the Top 10 based on price was occupied by 51 TES and we can only speculate that the high price for this plate was paid by a competing bidder intent on securing the number as a name related plate for Tessa and it may well be that the recipient was born in 1951 or that it was intended for a 51st birthday. It also has a remarkable resemblance to SITES and it may have been competing businesses bidding the price to an astonishing cash price of around £78k.
Third place, based on price was taken by a number 1 dateless plate in the shape of 1 YSD. This plate hasn’t got particularly popular initials and it isn’t in the original format (with letters first) for a dateless plate. Competing bidders were keen to secure the plate and its cash price reached the heights of circa £68k. The total cash value for the Top 10 plates based on price was circa £382k and the top three numbers contributed 49% of this income to the DVLA.
We never cease to be amazed by the values achieved at these DVLA online auctions and these prices have an influence on the market prices for personalised number plates. The trend on increasing prices continues unabated which is music to the ears of those investing in cherished number plates.