Personalised Number Plate Information

NUMBER PLATES:

Fake number plates top the list of the many challenges the government and traffic police are going to face in implementing its clean-up plan for the Capital. According to norms, a number plate can be procured only from an authorised dealer and after producing the RC of the vehicle and other related documents.

However, when DNA accessed the black market, the reality seemed different. Shops providing fake registration number plates not only put on display a number of designs and styles but also did not bother to ask for document or ID proof.

"We have number plates starting from Rs 250 and the costliest is Rs 3,500. While the cheapest one has sticker digits, styles vary from stylish embossed fonts to illuminated digits with custom-made logos," said a dealer who owns a shop in Noida's sector 16 car market.

Another dealer, who has a shop in Connaught Place, says that a simple number plate would cost Rs 800 while a legal one with holograms can only be made after the customer provides transport authority's approval. "Last year, during the scheme, demand for fake number plates was high, the same is expected this year," he said.

When asked about the flourishing hidden business of fake registration number plates — which can lead to a severe national security threat — a senior traffic police officer said, "The only way this market can be curbed is to conduct raids on such shops and take legal action."

Price range
Rs 250 to 500 with sticker digits, simple, non-styled

Rs 500 to 1000 embossed stylish digits, custom made designs, change of language

Rs 1200 to 3500 number plates with fancy lights, golden silver design, change of fonts

Hidden Business
Shops at Connaught Place, Kashmere Gate, Karol Bagh and NCR provide fake number plates

Price range varies from Rs 250 to 3500 depending upon style

No vehicle-related document or ID proof required.

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Overseas territories

Some of the British overseas territories, including Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, use similar number plates to the UK, with the same colours and typeface.

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A high-end four-wheeler carrying an ‘MLA’ sticker was spotted parked in Prakashnagar, Begumpet with a fancy registration plate carrying the number AP2 AB 2222.

The vehicle was spotted by Mr Hari Satya Sandeep, a social media user who often shares pictures of traffic rule violation on the Facebook page and Twitter handles of the Hyderabad traffic police. Mr Sandeep said the car with MLA sticker was not parked properly and its fancy number plate was a violation of the rule.

“When I checked its challans on the Hyderabad traffic police e-challan portal there were no pending challans. They may have cleared the challans but in that case they would have changed the number plate if they were fined for it,” Mr Sandeep said.

Asked about this, Dr V. Ravinder, joint commissioner Hyderabad traffic police, said, “As we have received the complaint we will look into the matter and will take action accordingly.”

Mr Vinod Kanumala, chief functionary of the Indian Federation of Road Safety, said, “Abuse of rules by LAs is very common. The law makers are the primary law breakers.” He said he had noticed a barcode number plate on a car in the city.

Number plate 2 of category 1 was the biggest attraction at the Abu Dhabi Police’s open vehicle number plates auction on Saturday, sold for Dh10.1 million.
The popular auction generated a revenue of more than Dh55 million, auctioning 60 distinguished Abu Dhabi number plates at Emirates Palace hotel.

Abu Dhabi Police, in cooperation with Emirates Auction, held the public auction on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of its establishment.

Organised by Emirates Auction, the auction listed the numbers on the company’s website, including five double-digit plates, 15 three-digit plates, 19 four-digit and 17 five-digit plates.

Number plate 2 was the only one-digit licence plate in the auction, and was the first one-digit Category 1 number plate sold in a public auction.

Other number plates featured in the auction were 10, 60, 333, 600, 999, 1000, 1111, 5050, 6000, 6060, 6666, 9090, 9999, 10000, 55555, 60000, 66666.

WOULD you pay more than $150,000 for a piece of metal measuring just 19cm by 13cm?

That’s the length to which collectors of historic South Australian licence plates are prepared to go to secure their piece of SA motoring history.

The 17 historic SA plates to go under the hammer have reserves ranging from $2999 for SA “467-470’’ to $120,000 for SA “90’’, right up to $149,999 for SA “29’’.

Stewart Kay, proprietor of Historic Plates, said licence plates had proven to be great investments.

“In terms of their metallic value, forget gold and platinum, it’s the most expensive metal in the world,” he said.

“Some of the three-digit numbers we have ranging from $17,500 to $22,000 – and we’ve sold some three-digit numbers for more than $50,000 previously – they were $1500 only in the late 2000s, so they’ve increased quite significantly in that time.

“We find people are using them in their self-managed super fund or to finish off their collectable car.

“If you’ve just bought the latest $400,000 Porsche or Mercedes or whatever, a $20,000 numberplate is the only way to finish it off.”

SA Government records show the “29” plate was first issued in 1907 to Dr E.V Fooks of Gawler, who registered it on an 8hp De Dion car.

“The reserve is $150,000 and we’ve arrived at that on past sales, but interestingly a couple of months ago, the number 29 Sydney plate sold in Sydney for $750,000,” Mr Kay said.

“All of our plates usually sell online or the following day but we offer all our plates at a market correct reserve. But under auction, anything is possible.

“The days of a $1 million South Australian numberplate is not too far off.”

So what else could you spend $150,000 on in South Australia?

According to realestate.com.au, $149,000 will buy you a three-bedroom home on 615sqm at Elizabeth East. For $149,990 you could drive away in a new 2017 Maserati Levante 3L 6 cylinder SUV.

And if you’d prefer a holiday, $150,000 will buy a couple 34 nights in the exclusive Osprey Pavillion of Kangaroo Island’s luxurious Southern Ocean Lodge.

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Number Plates as an alternative investment

Investing in car registration plates may seem like an unorthodox way of making money and a considerable statement in the process. Nevertheless, hundreds of investors and drivers now choose to purchase car registration plates with significant future returns available. The most obvious reason for purchasing car registration plates is to personalise your vehicle, to make you stand out from the crowd.

Even a mere decade ago, drivers with personalised registration plates were seen as wealthy and successful. In the present day, car registration plates are now more accessible and economical for the everyday working man to purchase. Drivers looking for a potential investment must keep in mind that the registration plate they purchase must be easy to sell on in the future.

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