Rare Personalised Number Plate VIC 1 Spotted
Reg Plates ArticleRare Personalised Number Plate VIC 1 Spotted

The Victorian '1' personalised number plate is one of the most valuable and sought-after number plates in the world, with an estimated value of between $10 million and $20 million. It is currently owned by former Fosters' Group and Coles Myer chief executive Peter Bartels, who has reportedly rejected several offers of over $1 million for the plate.
Victorian '1' heritage plate.
The plate was first issued in 1906 and has only had a handful of owners since then. In 1984, it was sold at auction for $165,000, which is equivalent to over $570,000 in today's money. The plate has since changed hands several times, with each sale increasing its value.
The high value of the Victorian '1' heritage plate is due to a number of factors. Its low number and its long history make it a very desirable collectible. Additionally, the plate is seen as a status symbol and is often purchased by wealthy individuals who want to show off their wealth.
In recent years, there has been a growing demand for heritage number plates, with prices skyrocketing. In 2019, the Victorian '916' heritage plate sold for $108,000, while in 2022, the Victorian '14' heritage plate sold for a record $2.27 million.
The Victorian '1' heritage plate is a truly unique and valuable item, and it is unlikely that its value will decrease in the foreseeable future.
Here is a more detailed look at the history of the Victorian '1' heritage plate:
The plate was first issued in 1906.
It was originally reserved for government officials, but they could not agree on who should own it.
In the 1980s, the plate was auctioned off.
The first owner was retired mechanic Gary Price, who purchased it for $165,000 (inflation-adjusted $571,551).
The plate has since changed hands several times, with each sale increasing its value.
The current owner is believed to be Peter Bartels, the former CEO of Carlton & United Breweries and Fosters.
The plate has been heavily documented and photographed throughout its life.
It has been displayed on a variety of luxury vehicles, including a Mercedes-AMG E55, a Mercedes-AMG E63, and a Porsche 911 Turbo.
How popular any name or initial it contains is: You are more likely to get good money for a registration plate that spells out a name like 5UE than you are with a more unusual name, simply because there is more demand for Sue (or Dave or Mel) than there would be for Hector, Primrose or Zebedee
How valuable the letters and numbers the plate contains are: in terms of numbers, lower numbers with fewer digits tend to be the most valuable when reselling personalised number plates, making BOB 1 more valuable than BOB 379. Sequential numbers (123, 456 etc.) and repeated numbers (444, 88) are more popular than random combinations, and special occasion numbers like 18 and 21 can also boost a number plate’s value a little. In terms of the letters in a number plate, the likelihood of a series of letters being a name or a person’s initials increases the value of the plate, too.


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