Number Plate to Fetch Millions at Auction

One of the most desirable number plates in Australia is set to head across the auction block.

New South Wales motorcycle number plate ‘1’ will headline an upcoming sale on auction website Collecting Cars, with the plate expected to invite bids in excess of $1 million.

In January 2024, New South Wales car number plate ‘1’ sold for a record $12.4 million including buyer’s premium.

The same auction saw Queensland heritage plate ‘Q1’ sell for $6.08 million.

It was a standout year for numbers plates in 2024, resulting inseveral records being broken at the gavel – with millions being spent on investment-grade combinations across Australia.

This isn't the first time NSW motorcycle ‘1’ plate has been offered recently, with the plate selling privately on numberplates.com.au back in 2018.

Its history dates back to 1918, when it was acquired by Bennet and Wood – a penny-farthing dealer which eventually became the importers of Honda motorbikes locally.

In 1935, Honda Australia’s general manager purchased the number plate.

A family in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales purchased the plate in 1978, affixing it to an MV Augusta. It’s believed to have changed hands twice in the decades since.

In mid-2021, Victorian motorcycle plate ‘3’ sold at auction for $163,000 – but was resold in 2024 for $200,000. On the same day, NSW ‘12’ motorcycle number plate sold for $195,000.

NSW motorcycle plate ‘1’ is set to be auctioned by Collecting Cars in the coming weeks. You can view the auction lot by clicking here.