Swiss Number Plate Auction Record Breaker
Reg Plates ArticleSwiss Number Plate Auction Record Breaker
Would you pay CHF150,000 ($148,000) for a number plate? A bidder made the record offer for “VS 1” on Tuesday – still three weeks before the auction ends, so the record could rise further.
Very Special? Vain Show-off? Victoria’s Secret? In fact, the VS represents canton Valais. Swiss vehicle registration plates comprise a two-letter code for the canton followed by up to six digits. The plate on the back of the vehicle also shows small shields representing the flags of Switzerland and the canton.
Until now, the Swiss record was CHF135,000 for “SG 1”, bought by a driver presumably from canton St Gallen.
Valais began the month-long auction of sought-after number plates last week. In future, the plan is to auction 60 car plates and 36 motorbike plates a year. Over the next decade, the canton expects the auctions to generate around CHF1 million, which will go towards the cantonal structural deficit.
Although CHF150,000 might seem a lot for a number plate, it’s small change compared with the world record of 52.2 million dirhams (CHF14.4 million) paid by an Emirati businessman in 2008 for the minimalist “1”.
So how do you ensure you get one that rises in value rather than one that remains static? The trick is to buy something that other people are likely to want. Number plates that show a person’s name or initials are a good example, providing they are not unusual names or initials. Having something that is unusual will not prevent the number plate from rising in value, but it may be more difficult as it will be harder to find a buyer whom the number plate is relevant to and who wants to pay for it.
Next, have a look at what is currently for sale that matches that name or initials. If there are not many or if the one you have is considerably better, you will have a greater chance of the investment rising in value. If, on the other hand, there are lots of other options for people with that name or initials, you may find it harder to sell the one you own.
Other things that can prevent you from getting a high price for a number plate include:
- Number plates that are hard to understand – If people can’t tell what the number plate means after a few seconds of looking at it, you might struggle to get a high price for it.
- Humorous number plates – These types of plates are very niche, so the market for them is smaller than for standard phrases.
- Made up or unique words – There may not be anyone else who wants a number plate with a very unusual word.
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