A private registration plate number or cherished number plate is one which has a series of letters and numbers of either general significance or of significance to the owner.  Examples would be plates with your initials or some combination of your initials and birth date.  Plates such as MS 1 (Mark Smythe) or LP 1000 (Lance Painter) would likely fetch very high prices.

Cherished number plates, especially those costing high amounts, are often viewed as investments which go up in value over time.  The very first plate, now lost to time, was plate A 1 issued in 1903 when the numbering scheme first became law.  Should that plate somehow be located, it would fetch millions of pounds at auction.  While it is illegal to use a car registration to make your vehicle appear newer than it is, there is no such prohibition on making your car appear older. 

Regardless of age, however, many people enjoy the novelty of having a say in the car number plate on their vehicle.  There are several private companies that can supply someone with a private number plate or several private registration plates for all your vehicles, and the DVLA periodically holds auctions of cherished number plates that have been withheld from public consumption.  Many of the private companies also offer a “plate search” service, which allows you to input the plate number you would like.  It will tell you if a plate meeting your requirements, or close to your requirements, is available.

Of course, the price may need to be negotiated, and it may become a little expensive for a plate with special significance to both you and the seller.  However, cherished number plates have proven to be a good investment over time, which requires little in the way of maintenance and upkeep.  For those looking to invest without much worry, this might be the option for you.

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Private number plates have been in use for years now, but the growing interest in owning them, especially those with low numbers, also known as “cherished plates”, and has created a new category of investment vehicle – literally.  People who purchased specialised, private number plates have seen their “investment” appreciate in value much faster than average.  In fact, even when the economy hit a rough stretch and most assets, including homes, were losing value, private registration plates continued to appreciate.

Why is this?  Basically, due to simple supply and demand.  There are a limited number of plates available, and of course there can only be one registrant per plate.  Stirling Moss, for example, has plate number ‘SM 7’.  He is the only one who can hold that plate.  Anyone who wishes to have that plate number will have to wait until such time as Sir Stirling wishes to release it.  At that point it would likely be auctioned, if not inherited by someone, and would likely fetch quite a price.

A private number plate has many of the qualities associated with investment material; it is rare, and can be highly sought by collectors.  There is a way to register ownership as well, and it’s unlikely to be stolen, as once displayed in public its whereabouts would be immediately known since the whole point of a private number plate is to display it on your vehicle. 

There are several companies who offer number plates for sale, and if you’re searching for private registration plates, this is a very good place to start.  But because they are considered collectibles by many people, the prices can climb quite quickly.  For example, plate ‘FCA 5H’ was originally purchased for £648.  It sold approximately 18 months later for £7,247, a stunning increase of over 1000%!

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Car number plates, once they have outlived their legal use as unique identifiers of cars, often become collectible items. This hobby is known as car number plate, or vintage number plate, collecting. Car number plates generally date back to the early twentieth century; in the UK, the 1903 Motor Act introduced car registration as a legal requirement. There are some older examples in other countries, which, of course, are highly valued as collector items because of their age.

Other car number plates can be valued as collector items due to their colour, regional origin, shape and / or size and historical peculiarities. Particular combinations of numbers and / or letters can be valued for their rarity or special value. Personalised car number plates, also known as vanity or cherished number plates, are among the most highly valued and collectible.  These can be very expensive and are usually registered index marks displayed on a vehicle being used.  In all cases however, unless national licensing authorities have given specific legal consent, collected car number plates cannot be displayed on a vehicle being driven on a public road.

Collectible car number plates are often offered at auctions. Other collectors browse through old junk sales, garage sales, car scrap yards, and so on, hunting for these collectors’ items. In some countries, specific collectors’ associations have been set up, such as the Automobile Licence Plate Collectors Association (ALPCA) in the US. In recent years, the number of website and social media sites devoted to collecting private number plates has grown greatly in number.

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Each year the DVLA holds a number of auctions for personalised number plates, for sale at locations throughout Britain. The auctions are an enjoyable occasion and the DVLA tries to make it a fun day out, in addition to providing the opportunity to nab very exclusive personalised plates, some of which are highly distinctive.

The real atmosphere is at the auction, so bidding onsite is a great idea; however telephone and internet bidding facilities are also offered. The DVLA registrations website has a list of future auctions and has a downloadable PDF catalogue of all the number plates for sale. Once you’ve looked at the catalogue and picked a number (or numbers), you then need to choose your bidding method, complete the application to register, and return it by fax or mail.

The DVLA registrations website has a list of prices achieved at previous auctions, which will give you an idea of what you can expect to pay for a personalised plate. The great thing about these auctions is that you will be paying market price, not the price set by a third party, who may or may not be reasonable. It is also important to consider DVLA auctions, due to the number of unscrupulous sellers that charge an apparently attractive price for rare plates and later fail to deliver the plates. Because it is the DVLA selling the plates, you will have no trouble with transferring ownership after purchase.

As with any auction, remember to set a maximum price before you go to the venue, all the excitement can easily prompt you to shell out far more money than you originally intended.

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Since the start of the twenty first century, UK rules for the display and appearance of car registration plates have been altered by the national licensing agency, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The rules came into effect from 1 September 2001.

UK car number plates, from 1 September 2001, have to display the combination of letters and numbers making up the unique registration number in a sans serif font. This was introduced in order to enhance the reading capabilities of automatic number plate recognition systems (ANPR), as well as with the human eye.

The size of the letters and numbers is regulated to be between 50 and 79 millimetres high, with the width set at 14 millimetres. A space in between letters / numbers is 11 millimetres, and the space between a grouped set of letters / numbers is 33 millimetres. Legally allowed car number plates decorations or accessories include national symbols such as flags or national denotation symbols such as GB for Great Britain, SCO for Scotland and so on.

UK car number plates are required to be white at the front of the vehicle, and yellow at the back. On the car number plate itself, other than the series of unique letters / numbers and unobtrusive national symbols, nothing else is allowed. For antique or other vintage cars, some exceptions to the rules are made. Black plates, which used to be in circulation, are still allowed on older cars, providing they are legible.

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The primary difference between vehicles and car number plates is that you do not own the latter in the same way in which you own your vehicle.  You can fork out hundreds or even thousands of pounds when purchasing your car number plate and it won’t matter because you can only own the rights to use its allotted index mark.  What this means is that you can lose those rights as well as the money spent to purchase them.  This is an all too common event as most individuals here in the UK are not very knowledgeable of registration rules and typically have no clue what they have actually paid for.

In the UK, there are two ways in which you can protect the rights to your plate registration.  You can have your number plate registered to a specific vehicle or you can retain that number by virtue of what is referred to as a “retention” certificate.  When you have completed the purchase of your number plate, it is imperative that you protect your rights as being the registered owner.

The V5 document (or logbook) is your proof of ownership and contains your name.  If the number plate is held by retention certificate your name typically appears at the top of that document.  Retention certificates have a one year lifespan, although you will need to have it renewed (for a £25 fee) within 28 days of the certificate’s expiration date.  If you fail to pay the fee, you could lose the number completely. 

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If by some chance you want to register an old vehicle under its original number plate because the 1983 deadline for this was missed, you are going to need to complete DVLA Form V765 at your nearest local DVLA office, or by downloading the form off the internet at the DVLA website.  These types of original registration mark applications typically relate to classic vehicle enthusiasts.  The DVLA Booklet V765/1 details the procedure for correctly handling this.  You can download these or visit your local area DVLA office in order to complete the procedure.

In order to apply for this type of car registration, you need to:

- Complete DVLA Form V55/5 which is available at your local DVLA office
- Complete DVLA Form V765
- Provide the DVLA with the most current photograph of the vehicle in your possession as well as all related documentary evidence.  This includes the original V5 log book, a MOT certificate, or a pre-1983 tax disc.  Any of these must link the vehicle to its original car registration number.

You should then send the application to either a relevant authorised enthusiasts club, or owners club, and have them endorse the document.  They will not obligate you to join their club.  However, they will most likely charge you a fee for the service.  Additionally, the club may request that they have the opportunity to inspect your vehicle before completing this procedure.  In any event, your local area DVLA office will have the latest information regarding this.

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Along with purchasing personalised number plates at the DVLA or at an official DVLA auction, you also have the option of buying them from a private dealer.  However, should you be contemplating pursuing this purchasing option, there are a few things you should know.  If you have been unable to locate the private number plate you’ve been searching for at either the DVLA or through one of their authorised auctions, contacting a private dealer is the only real option that you have left.

Today, many individuals have found the private number plates they have been looking for by visiting certain websites such as “eBay” or “Loot.”  One of the advantages is that the seller can arrange the transferring of the private number plates straight from their vehicle to your vehicle.  Additionally, they can transfer the number plate to a Certificate of Entitlement or a retention certificate if you choose that course of action.  What this means is that you will be named as the “nominee” and then you will have to complete the transferring of the personalised registration to your vehicle in due course.

You can also do this if you do not currently have a vehicle to assign the private number plates and registration to.  However, it will be up to the seller to ask the DVLA that your name is placed on a Certificate of Entitlement.  This gives you the right to assign your private plate numbers and registration to a vehicle at a later date.  Please visit the DVLA website before you proceed with purchasing your private number plates so that you are aware of all the guidelines that need to be followed by both purchaser and seller.

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Personalised car number plates; also known as vanity number plates, prestige number plates, cherished number plates, custom number plates or private number plates, are legal car number plates that combine a series of letters and / or numbers to denote something more meaningful (usually the owner’s initials) than those issued by the state.

In the United Kingdom, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is the government body responsible for the issuing of car number plates, as well as monitoring driving licences, road traffic offences and road taxation. The DVLA allows a set of personalised number plates to be used as it sells such number plates itself, as well as regulating those that are bought and sold privately.

Personalised number plates commonly spell out a person’s name or place of residence. In the UK, the official registration system stipulates the use of a number following any three consecutive letters. What this means is that personalised number plates are often highly creative, with a number often used to stand for a letter. An example is the use of the number 3 for the letter E.

Personalised number plates can be bought in advance of a car being bought, as well as afterwards. Replacing a state issued number plate with a private alternative is, with some exceptions, straightforwardly an issue of paying for the alternative. Those refused are when that number plate is already in use, or is common with very widely used names such as ‘John’ or ‘Mary’, or in the case where the index mark creates a swear word.

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In the UK, personalised car number plates; also known as vanity number plates, prestige number plates, cherished number plates, custom number plates or simply private number plates, are regulated and often sold by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) or through an agency or private sale. The DVLA is a government body responsible for the issuing of driving licences, keeping a national database of all car registrations and the addresses of car owners, as well as road taxation record keeping.

As in the US, there are certain letter / index number combinations which are prohibited from use. Letters spelling out swear words or contentious political denotations, for example, are not allowed. The DVLA issues original personalised number plates, for a commercial fee, and also tracks the private sale/use of personalised number plates from one car owner to another or from shops or websites to car owners. It can often occur that a personalised number plate is bought online without the car owner checking the permissibility of the plate with the DVLA. This results in ownership without the right to drive with this plate.

Common types of personalised number plate are those that spell out a person’s name or place of residence. Some famous individuals have highly recognisable personalised number plates that identify them. Personalised number plates are often sold through auctions. Auctions can sell either personalised plates to be used on the road, or purely collectible plates. Collectible plates may have some historical value, especially when they were previously owned by celebrities.

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