An English license plate, which has been owned by the same family since 1902, has been sold for the equivalent of one million Danish kroner.
A license plate with the simple combination "010" has changed hands in England for the tidy sum of 1 million kroner. The license plate has a long history and has been in the same family's possession since 1902.
In Denmark, we have had the opportunity to acquire license plates of our choice since 1992. The scheme is inspired by Sweden, but unlike England, it is not possible to resell your license plate here.
In England, however, there is a great interest in special number plates, and they are often traded for considerable sums. Once a number plate combination is assigned, it belongs to the owner. Owning a coveted number plate has become a status symbol among wealthy Britons.
"010" was recently sold at auction after an intense bidding war. A buyer ended up paying 1.5 million Swedish kronor for the license plate.
The number plate, which had been in the same family for 118 years, was the 10th registration number issued in Birmingham in the early 20th century.
The number plate has had a number of different owners over the years, including a well-known pub owner. The last owner, Barry Thompson, used it on all his cars for over 60 years. Thompson was a big fan of Aston Villa football club and used the plate on everything from Mini Coopers to Jaguars.
When Thompson died in 2017, the heirs decided to sell the number plate. The sale through Silverstone Auctions brought in 1 million Danish kroner.
Although 1 million kroner is a high price for a license plate, it is far from the most expensive one sold in the UK.
Here is a list of the most expensive number plates in the UK:
- 25 O £518,000 November 2014
- 1D £352,000 March 2009
- 51 NGH £254,000 April 2006
- 1 RH £247,000 November 2008
- K1 NGS £185,000 December 2006
- 1 £170,000 January 2009
- 1A £160,000 December 1989
