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.
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.”
“The hotly contested competition to be the one to land the iconic 8 did not disappoint,” Mr Koutsantonis added.
“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.
“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.”
