Personalised Number Plate Information

NUMBER PLATES:

DVLA Personalised Registrations’ three-day live autumn auction will get underway this week at the Cambridge Belfry Hotel.

The Agency has once again delivered a wide-ranging blend of 1,250 personalised registrations to suit all tastes and budgets that will go under the hammer during the three-day event being staged in Cambourne.

While there are a whole host of registrations aligned to supercars like the Ferrari 812 Superfast with 812 S and 812 SA and the famed Aston Martin with A57 TON, as ever DVLA Personalised Registrations has delivered an array to suit all tastes ranging from those reflecting names such as B116 JON, D166 ORY, F41 TH and RY11 ANS, through to quirkier offerings such as HE16 HTS, 544 MBA and RUS 55T.

Jody Davies, DVLA Personalised Registrations’ Senior Sales Manager, said: “We have experienced another hugely successful year with a great number of registrations surpassing our expectations. Our last live auction held in the summer fell just four lots short of a 100 per cent sell out and we are hoping that success will continue with our autumn sale.”

Just some of the 1,250 personalised registrations included in the forthcoming sale include:

121 A (reserve £2,500), A61 LLY (£250), B111 RTY (£250), CA11 DDY (£400), DDH 110N (£250), E88 ONY (£250), FR12 ANK(£400), GHO 57T (£300), GLO 88E (£300), HE16 HTS (£700), HUG 9H (£350), JPE 4R (£350), KA15 ERS (£700), KHA 5N(£350), LAM 80L (£300), LL11 OYD (£400), MA15 EYS (£700), 544 MBA (£1,200), M42 RCO (£250), N41 NCY (£250), 96 O(£2,500), OAT 1S (£500), OSC 42R (£300), ROW 60AT (£250), 812 S (£2,500), SH11 MBA (£400), 250 T (£2,500), 75 US(£2,200), 2 VAN (£1,200), 600 W (£2,500), WY11 ATT (£400), 993 X (£2,500), YA11 CHT (£400), YOU 45K (£300).

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We also sponsor the Generation FMX freestlye motocross team.

So let the experts take the stress out of buying or selling your registration mark. Why not browse this site, and if you need any further assistance, we are on hand from 9am until 7pm Monday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm Sunday.

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THERE are a number of mistakes that can be made on personalised number plates that could see drivers land a £1,000 and also fail their MOT. Here is what they are and how to avoid them.

Illegal number plates could see thousands of Brits face fines and even make them fail their MOT.

Certain personalised number plates have the potential to be costly errors for drivers.

While a personalised number plate can be, to some people, a nice form of expression, they could also be costly.

According to the company, however, 15,000 drivers across the UK have been fined for having an illegal plates over the past three years.

The worst offenders come from London with 3,058 offences clocked while North Wales and Norfolk also totted up over 1,100 each.

This includes plates that did not conform to regulations, cars without a front or back plate or ones with indistinguishable/obscured plates.

It is a legal requirement for a car’s numberplate to be clear and legible and failure to meet these criteria can result in £1,000 fine, loss of the personal registration number and/or a failed MOT.

There are other modifications that drivers can also be penalised for.

These include using the wrong colours for the lettering or for the background of the plates.

Number plates should have black characters on a white background at the front of the car and on a yellow background on the back of the car.

Spacing is also crucial and drivers should ensure that the characters on their plate are correctly spaced.

Non-confirming backgrounds or stickers that could interfere with the legibility of a plate are also factors that carry a fine risk.

The standard font used on all number plates is ‘Charles Wright’ and it is the only one deemed acceptable for motorists to have.

Similarly, the flag on the left hand side of the plate must also be correct.

Acceptable flags include: The EU flag, The Union Jack, The St George Cross, The Scottish Saltire (St Andrew Cross) and The Red Dragon of Wales.

Relevant letters accompanying these flags must be also:

GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain or GB

UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom or UK

ENGLAND, England, ENG, Eng

SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco

CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym

WALES or Wales

Failure to comply could also land drivers with a fine and/or MOT failure.

The staff of state Sen. Andy Dinniman’s office recently presented him with a historic Pennsylvania Senate license plate from 1933 as a holiday gift.

The plate, which features the number “19S,” dates back to the time when Chester County’s 19th Senatorial District was represented by the late state Sen. William Hannum Clark, who served from 1927 to 1935.

Clark, born at Doe Run in 1877, attended public schools in West Marlboro Township and the Maple Grove Institute in Delaware County before graduating from Coatesville High School. According to Senate records, he pursued the bonding business and served as superintendent of Chester County Highways, automobile inspector, and register of wills before being elected to the state Senate on Nov. 2, 1926.

Clark, who succeeded T. Lawrence Eyre, served five terms from 1927 to 1935 (at that time Pennsylvania state senators served two-year terms).

“While we may know little about state Sen. Clark, he certainly does seem to have had an interest in cars, as county superintendent of highways and automobile inspector,” said Dinniman, D-19. “I thought this was a really neat, unique, and thoughtful gift and want to thank my staff.

“When you have the opportunity and privilege to serve in public office, you join part of a long line of individuals and leaders who stood for and represented the values of your region. This really helps put that into perspective,” he added.

Dinniman said his staff came across the historic license plate in an online auction after being alerted to it by his Chester County colleague, state Rep. John Lawrence, R-13, who has an interest in historic automobiles.

Dinniman, a historian, history buff, and professor by trade, serves on the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, is known for his interest in local history and preserving local artifacts associated with his office. The building that houses his office, located at One North Church Street in historic downtown West Chester, has been home to various businesses since the early 1800s. From 1914 to 1947, it was a candy store and confectionary, Marakos Candy Kitchen, and Dinniman has preserved a clock and menu from the store that remains on display.

BRITS splashed the cash on private plates last year to the tune of £111million.

Personalised registrations spelling out names, initials, comedy phrases and car models all proved popular.

And the top five priciest plates netted almost £250,000 between them for the DVLA at auction.

The lucrative sales have generated over £2billion in the last 25 years for the agency.

The most expensive ever was recorded in November 2014 when "25 O" sold to a Ferrari dealer for £518,000.

And the popular "O" series featured twice in 2017's top list with "45 O" and "96 O" both going under the hammer for over £50,000 - one now residing on a white Audi.

But top of the tree in 2017 was "JSK 1", sold for £56,200 at the Cheltenham Chase Hotel auction back in May, and now living on a black Mercedes.

The "812 S" plate sold for £45,500 - most likely to a Ferrari collector or dealer looking to twin it up with the 812 Superfast model launched last year.

"1 HSV" was the fifth priciest plate of 2017 with DVLA records showing it's yet to be registered with a motor.

Plates are sold at auction to buyers looking to add a personal touch to their beloved motors or to plate dealers and investors who stock up on popular registrations.

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2010 Car Number Plates

We're now just over a month away from the introduction of the 2010 number plate on all new cars hitting the road after the beginning of March.

While the excitement surrounding the introduction of new number plates may go over some people's heads, during the past few years a real demand has grown for personalised plates, with some selling for an absolute fortune at auction.

Music legend Elton John's former number plate ELT 70N recently went up for auction for just under £1,000, but that's nothing compared to the £113,815 one crazy person (in the nicest sense) shelled out on a 1 HRH number plate auctioned by the DVLA at the beginning of 2009. And even that has some way to go to surpass £254,000 paid to take ownership of the 51 NGH plate.

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Fraudsters are attempting to scare drivers into revealing personal information.

The message, which even appears to have the gov.uk logo, reads: ‘FINAL REQUEST: ‘DVLA Swansea have been trying to contact you, Click below for more information.’

It is leading drivers to believe that they may be in trouble with the DVLA.

The DVLA has confirmed it doesn’t send texts or emails with links to websites asking for motorists to confirm their personal details or payment information.

The phony website may also include malware, a type of virus that lurks in your device to steal information, such as bank log-in details.

On social media website Twitter, many people have been tweeting about the tax refund scam. With one claiming the domain is registered in Panama.

The DVLA has said it is currently investigating.

A DVLA spokeswoman said: “We are aware that some members of the public are receiving emails and texts claiming to be from DVLA.

“Anyone getting these should delete the message and don’t click the link.”

Last summer, scammers were also targeting people in Swansea claiming to be from the DVLA.

Swansea Council Trading Standards said it had seen a rise in complaints from people in the city who had reported receiving the malicious phone calls, where the caller asks for credit card and personal details.

The DVLA had also revealed e-mails were sent to people last year, which had a link to a ‘secure web form’ that’s designed to collect personal information from unwitting recipients.

The correspondence targeting motorists says: “We would like to notify you that you have an outstanding vehicle tax refund of £239.35 from an overpayment, request a refund.”

The email includes the DVLA’s existing logo and fonts, which could dupe motorists into sharing their personal data.

MNLARS was supposed to replace the 30-year-old computer system that the Department of Vehicle Services used for handling drivers licenses and motor vehicle registrations. “When finished, it will be an efficient, secure Web-based system for driver’s license, identification card and vehicle registration and ownership transactions,” the DVS’ website proclaims.

When the car registration and title portion was rolled out this past summer, years past its deadline and nearly double its $48 million budget, it was, in automobile parlance, “a lemon.” It didn’t work well at all. It’s still not working that well. And this summer, the drivers license part of the system is supposed to start up.

Now, after dozens of statewide meetings, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has developed a “Roadmap” for fixing and improving MNLARS. It includes things like “fixing bugs and glitches,” “stabilizing and optimizing system performance” and one we really like: “Adding functionality to MNLARS that existed in the old system” — that is, make it do what you could do on the 30-year-old system.

The cost for all this, the DPS says, is $43 million, nearly as much as the whole shebang was supposed to cost in the first place.

Insanity, in this case, might be defined as giving more money for MNLARS repairs to the people who overspent to develop this wretched mess in the first place. Given the cost, it might just be better to start over.

Advisor to Chief Minister Balochistan on Excise, Taxation and Transport Mir Abdul Karim urged all lawmakers including MNAs and MPAs to fix original vehicles numbers plates in pursuance of Balochistan High Court Decision.

According to handout issued here, he said that in this regard, Balochistan High Court had been strict warned that if anybody would fine in violation of the decision of Balochistan High Court so action would be taken against them.

The minister said members of national assembly (MNAs) of Pakistan, members provincial assembly (MPAs) of Balochistan should display their official plate numbers at vehicles which were allotted by official deportment, despite, displaying ministers and senators at plate numbers of vehicles.

He hoped that ministers, MPAs, MNAs and VIPs would act upon on the decision of Balochistan High court.

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For your protection and to ensure a fair and professional service, we are members of The Institute of Registration Agents and Dealers (MIRAD).

Our office can be contacted by email or by telephone on 01482 628 628 or by pOst to Image Registration Marks, PO Box 123, Hessle, HU13 0YJ.

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Drivers have been warned that they can be stripped of their car’s number plate if they break the law.

Devon and Cornwall Police revealed the circumstances in which plates can be seized as they revealed how many motorists had been stopped for having dodgy plates.

The force said three drivers a week were stopped, on average, in the last 12 months for having illegal plates.

So-called “non conforming” number plates include those that have been mis-spaced and those with italics.

In response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act, a Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: “The force will also contact DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) in cases where the number plate has been mis-spaced.

“Purchasers of the registration mark do not own the plate, they own the right to place it on their vehicle, subject to conditions. Mis-spacing is one of them.

“On receipt of two reports of the same mark being mis-spaced they will remove it from the owner, who may have paid several thousand pounds for it. Often the illegal number plates are purchased on the internet and specified not for road use.”

On its website the DVLA also warned that you could be fined up to £1,000, and that your car “will fail its MOT test if you drive with incorrectly displayed number plates”.

THESE ARE THE DVLA’S RULES
For vehicles with new or replacement number plates fitted from 1 September 2001, registration numbers can no longer be shown over three lines (unless the vehicle was first registered before 1 January 1973) or if a vehicle is constructed before 1 January 1976 and is registered in the historic tax class and is exempt from vehicle tax.

Also, the letters and numbers (characters) on number plates bought since 1 September 2001 will need to meet the following standards.

Characters must be 79mm tall

Characters (except the number 1 or letter I) must be 50mm wide

The character stroke (the thickness of the black print) must be 14mm

The space between characters must be 11mm

The space between the age identifier and the random letters must be 33mm

The margins at the top, bottom and side of the plate must be 11mm

Vertical space between the age identifier and the random numbers must be 19mm

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Cherished Number Auction Listing Now Online

The cherished registration auction listing is now available online at the Image Reg website.

Prices are still subdued so its a perfect time to invest in cherished plates.

We also offer a bidding service so why not let us take the strain for you and have over 13 years of experience at hand.

Contact us now to find our more, 01482 627 628.

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So why do so many Territorians choose to pimp their plates?

To date, there are more than 20,000 personalised plates registered in the NT, making up 11 per cent of registered vehicles.

Part of the reason there are so many could be because of the price — $185 for a variety of designs and up to seven characters.

In Queensland a seven-character personalised number plate will set you back more than $3,000.

But according to Eduardo de la Fuente, a lecturer in creativity and innovation at James Cook University, the fact personalised plates were relatively inexpensive in the NT was not the only reason they were so popular.

"Through popular culture and culture more generally we invest a lot in motor vehicles [because] they're fetishistic objects," he said.

"They become vehicles, if you pardon the pun, for communicating something about ourselves.

"One way of differentiating yourself from the pack via the purchase of a motor vehicle is to buy something extremely exclusive.

"Most of us however are not in a position to buy a Lamborghini, so we may use other means to customise or personalise a car [and] a number plate is a relatively cheap way of doing that."

When Vivien Joseph moved to Darwin in 2011 she was immediately struck by the number of quirky personalised plates.

"It was the very first thing I noticed; it was like a signature for all of Darwin, a free comedy show on the road," she said.

Over the next four years she collected more than 10,000 number plate images, eventually compiling them into a book.

Ms Joseph's explanation of why more Territorian drivers choose to personalise their plates lies in the surrounding landscape and the identity of those living within it.

"It's so different to everywhere else and there's a freedom of spirit, maybe a greater sense of fun and a greater sense of getting away from the norm," she said.

"I guess they [Australian states and territories] all have their own spirits but the Northern Territory seems to have a sort of special quirky one."

As well as collating pictures, Ms Joseph asked some people to tell her the story behind their number plates.

One of the first stories she was told was of a number plate that read CARPDM.

"It was somebody who'd been unwell and depressed and sad but picked their life up again and chose a starting point by buying a new car and a new number plate," she said.

Other number plates that were among Ms Joseph's favourites were POOGURU — a man who wanted to illustrate he was often in trouble with his wife — and FUNSIZ — a young woman with a sense of humour about her height.

Personalised number plates in the NT, and the reasons people choose the combinations they do, is a fascinating topic for Simon Moss, an associate professor of psychology at Charles Darwin University.

He said while no formal studies had been conducted it was clear that Territorians liked to be unique.

"The [Northern] Territory is about expressing yourself, much more so than other states and territories," he said.

"I think a lot of people move to the NT because they don't want to conform and in some ways the amount of personalised plates here reflects that.

"It's a phenomena I'd like to look into a bit further."

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DE51YRE private number plate for sale

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A number plate owner has had their number plate withdrawn by the DVLA after a member of the public complained to police that it spelt 'jihad'.

The Ford Fiesta was driven around with the personalised plate for six months before it was reported to officials.

Licence bosses have now banned the plate which was written JH11 HAD and sent the owner a replacement.

The car was reported after it was spotted driving around Newport, Gwent.

One woman who reported it to police after she saw it being driven in her home city said: "How can this be allowed with everything that is going on in the world at the moment?

"I have told the police about it and they said they would make a note of it.

"Surely this plate cannot be legal?"

A DVLA spokesman said the personalised plate had been bought in October last year and had "slipped through the net" of offensive registrations.

The spokesman said: "We try to identify all combinations that may cause offence, and on the rare occasion where potentially offensive numbers slip through the net, steps are taken to withdraw the number.

"As soon as we became aware of this last week we withdrew it and would have then sent a replacement plate."

Plates resembling the word 'jihad', which literally means striving or struggling in Arabic, and is associated with the concept of 'holy war', are unavailable, for example plates starting with JE and ending HAD.

Others which are banned include HO57 AGE, a close match to "hostage", and the chain of characters O54 MA because of its resemblance to the name Osama.

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In 1963, numbers were running out once again, and an attempt was made to create a national scheme to alleviate the problem. The three letter, up to three number system was kept, but a letter suffix was added, which changed every year. In this scheme, numbers were drawn from the range AAA 1A to YYY 999A for the first year, then AAA 1B to YYY 999B for the second year, and so on. Some areas did not adopt the year letter for the first two years, sticking to their own schemes, but in 1965 adding the year letter was made compulsory. As well as yielding many more available numbers, it was a handy way for vehicle buyers to know the age of the vehicle immediately. At first the year letter changed on 1 January every year, but car retailers started to notice that buyers would tend to wait until the New Year for the new letter to be issued, so that they could get a newer" car. This led to major peaks and troughs in sales over the year, and to help flatten this out somewhat the industry lobbied

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