AB 1 Number Plate Regplates Sale Opinion In The Daily Mail

A police chief has sparked a row by selling one of Britain's most valuable car number plates.

West Mercia Police hope to raise up to £250,000 by auctioning the registration number AB 1.

Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion will put the money towards front line policing and it could pay for 12 new constables for a year.

But retired officers have launched a campaign to stop the sale saying the force is selling off its 'crown jewels'.

More than 700 people have signed a petition urging the force to keep the historic plate, first issued in 1908 and used on the official cars of the Worcestershire Chief Constable.

Experts say its value is increased because there is documentation to show it's only ever had one owner.

Mr Campion said: 'A considered decision has been made to market AB 1. The sale proceeds will be reinvested towards frontline policing in West Mercia.

'My priority is to ensure that those who are most vulnerable are protected and that West Mercia is a safe place. The public expect that I effectively use the assets at my disposal to do this.'

The registration number, unused for six years, is up for auction with a guide price of £175,000 but is expected to go for a lot more.

Mr Campion added: 'The prospect of a Chief Constable or any public servant using a private number plate belongs in a time gone by, both for security reasons and public expectation.

'I acknowledge there is history associated with this registration number, however it is right that we utilise the assets we have to support policing in our area.'

Ironically, the initials of current chief constable Anthony Bangham coincide with the number plate.

Former officers were outraged by the sale and have urged the Police and Crime Commissioner to have a rethink.

Retired Worcester policeman Paul Yarrington said: 'It's like selling the crown jewels really. It's a bit of police history.

'Thousands of officers, if you asked them what AB 1 was, they could say it's the chief's car. I was disgusted when I saw it for sale.

'There's at least 19 cars I know it's been on. There's no sense of history now. I get the feeling the force is alienating itself against the public.'

Vehicle registration was introduced in 1903 and AB 1 was first plate issued in Worcestershire in 1908.

John Cherry, director of regplates.com, said: 'AB 1 is a bit special because it's never come up for sale before.

'It's a piece of motoring history and I would expect it to go for in the region of £250,000.

'It is an original issue which puts another 25 per cent on the value - there will be a lot of interest in it.'

So what are the top selling number plates in the UK? The DVLA has been selling private plates to UK motorists since 1989. During this time, there have been a number of records set, but most of the top 10 have been bought in the past 15 years. Here’s what currently makes the list:

25 0 – A Ferrari dealer bought this for £518k in 2014. It is now on a £10 million Ferrari 250 SWB.
F 1 – A businessman, Afzal Khan, bought this for £440k in 2008 and put it on his McLaren-Mercedes SLR.
S 1 – This was bought in 2008 for £404k by an anonymous buyer.
1 D – Businessman Nabil Bishara bought this plate in 2009 (before One Direction was formed, so it is not a reference to the band) for £352k.
M 1 – Businessman Mike McCoomb bought this number plate in 2006 for £331k, apparently for his son, who was 10 at the time.
VIP 1 – Chelsea owner and businessman Roman Abramovich bought this plate for £285k in 2006.
51 NGH – This number plate, which looks like the surname Singh, was sold in 2006 for £254k.
1 RH – Businessman Robert Haverson bought this in 2006 for £247k.
K1 NGS – This reg plate, which looks like the word “kings”, was bought anonymously in 1993 for £231k.
1 0 – This very simple but striking number plate was bought anonymously in 2009 for £170k.

These are large amounts of money, but they are all small compared to the top-selling number plates found in other parts of the world. Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, has the record for the most expensive number plate ever sold. That number plate was a simple “1”. It was bought in 2008 by businessman Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri for £7.25 million.

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