Car Number Plate Bidder Buys The Car Licence Plate VS 1 In Auction

The canton of Valais is 160,100 francs richer after an anonymous bidder bought the car number plate VS 1 in an auction that finished on Tuesday.

The figure is the highest amount ever paid for a vehicle car registration plate in Switzerland and "surpassed expectations", said the cantonal authorities in a statement.

The canton’s road traffic and navigation service (SCN) launched the auction on February 15th with bids open for a month on a number of plates.

The VS 1 plate attracted 17 bidders, with the highest bid coming from a person using the pseudonym Matrans.

His or her 160,100 winning bid breaks the Swiss record previously set in the canton of St Gallen where 135,000 francs was paid for the plate SG 1.

The new owner of VS 1 will remain anonymous for the time being, said the canton. When the car is officially registered with that plate the owner can themselves decide if they wish any publicity.

The auction continues with five new plates, including VS 12 and VS 103, on the platform vs.ch/autos

The amount raised from the Valais’ first ever licence plate auction will go into the canton’s public coffers.

How Does the Process Work?

The DVLA will process your application and will assign a new registration number to the vehicle your registration number is being transferred from. This is usually a registration number based on the age of the vehicle.

The existing registration number of the car that you are transferring your registration number to is, in effect, cancelled. The registration number you own now applies to this vehicle. This means you will then receive a V948 authorisation which you can use to get new number plates made. You will also receive a new vehicle registration certificate.

number plates reg transfers