Auction records have been smashed in South Australia with the iconic plate 8 selling for more than $2.3 million dollars in a thrilling bidding war overnight.
Plate 8, among the first numeric plates issued in SA in 1906, went up for auction in late August sparking a two-week bidding frenzy and last night sold for a record $2,300,100.
Bidding started at $600,000 and took just days for the bids from passionate car enthusiasts and number plate collectors to skyrocket and set a new auction record for South Australia.
The previous record was set in 2020 when the bespoke ‘1’ plate commemorating the Adelaide Grand Prix nabbed $593,000 at auction.
Plate ‘8’ is the first single digit numeric plate to be sold by the State Government since plates 3,6 and 9 were sold at the 1985 Great Plate Auction. Back then they sold for $11,000, $6,500 and $7,000 respectively.
Number eight is considered the luckiest number in Chinese culture, while in some numerology schools it represents strength, prosperity and victory.
Experts say having an ‘8’ within a plate sequence has become the digit of choice among number plate collectors, both for its luck and symmetrical format.
Bidders were also keen to snap up a number of other genuine numeric plates that were at auction alongside the ‘8’, with plate 55 selling for a whopping $625,100 and plate 873 going for $165,100.
A total of 28 plates were up for grabs including numbers 46000, 111444, 5566 and 249, with the total of $4,014,073 raised showcasing the high demand and interest South Australians have in genuine numeric plates.
Each plate comes with ‘Class Specific Rights’ which entitle the new owners to long-term rights to their plate. This means the plate can be transferred to vehicles registered in the same name and sold to a third party.
The plates can only be affixed to a vehicle that is registered in SA.
Revenue raised from the auction will be returned to the Department for Infrastructure and Transport to fund services for South Australians.
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SA Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Tom Koutsantonis said “after the New South Wales number 1 went for over $10 million earlier this year, we knew there would be significant interest in our iconic plate 8.”
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“The hotly contested competition to be the one to land the iconic 8 did not disappoint,” Mr Koutsantonis added.
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“The new owners of the ‘8’ and the other genuine numeric plates like 55 and 873 have incredibly rare and exclusive pieces of South Australian automotive history in their hands.
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“The value of these plates as a much sought-after investment is assured. I thank Slattery Auctions, our third-party auctioneer, for their fantastic work running this process to ensure a fair and exciting auction.”
