DVLA Auction January 2023

The DVLA's first auction of 2023 took place from 11th - 17th January. It was an online auction.

As always, a variety of plates were on offer and the line-up presented the usual challenges to those of us who like to try to guess the motivations of buyers, as we will see. In some cases, the relevance was, presumably, something of personal significance that isn't immediately apparent to an onlooker. In other cases, it seems that simple aesthetics may have been the driving consideration.

The registration number F296 GTS on a set of acrylics

As one would expect, some of the lots that achieved high prices were obvious. F296 GTS, for example, served as the obligatory Ferrari reference. There is always one to be found if one looks carefully. £30,485 may not be a fortune to your average Ferrari owner but it goes to show how much context matters when valuing character combinations.

The contenders

This month's comedy potential was provided by the plate that came in at number six in the rankings. The bold purchaser of S70 LEN parted with £34,761 despite the increased possibility of being pulled over by sharp-eyed police officers when displaying it on a car. Still, it's a great plate and we don't think the buyer was robbed at that price.

The registration number S70 LEN on a set of acrylics

We rather hope that 54 MAD was purchased by a chap named Samad, as it is one of the best possible representations of the name. If that were the case then it was worth every penny of its all-in price of £32,193. If not, then we'd be curious about its appeal to the buyer.

The registration number 1 VKG on a set of acrylics

1 VKG is a fine initials plate for the right person and £50,195 is a great price. Despite its brevity, it also conveys the word "Viking" pretty effectively. Did or do Vikings drive cars?

The ambiguous

DEO 1S puzzled us a little but it seems that there were bidders with the name Deol. Even so, £102,813 was a pretty eyebrow-raising price. As we have seen, context is everything.

741 N appears to spell Tain or, perhaps, Zain? The only Tain we know of is a place in Scotland and the name Zain is often anglicised as Zane in the UK. There is a big telecoms company called Zain, but that's based in the Middle East. Nope, this one is a bit of a mystery to us. Whatever the reason, it was worth £34,209 to someone.

The champion

Top of the chart this time was 42 O.

The registration number 42 O on a set of acrylics

'O' registrations of this type always seem to do well and this one is a great-looking plate. As we all know, the answer to the great question regarding the meaning of life, the universe and everything is 42. What better reason for splashing out £124,204?

The next DVLA auction will take place from Wednesday 22nd February - Friday 24th February 2023. This will be a live venue auction and will be held at The Cambridge Belfry, Back Ln, Cambourne, Cambridge, CB23 6BW.

Below is our customary round-up of strong performers from this month's auction. Have a browse through and see what you can spot that we didn't.

Plate	Price *
42 O	£124,204
DEO 1S	£102,813
1 VKG	£50,195
7 XN	£45,033
110 H	£36,430
S70 LEN	£34,761
741 N	£34,209
54 MAD	£32,193
333 S	£32,180
150 M	£31,782
F296 GTS	£30,485
11 KSS	£27,160
111 ASR	£23,975
110 VEU	£23,873
108 A	£23,205
TEK 3	£21,921
611 P	£21,908
AAM 17R	£19,353
EES 1A	£19,353
GOT 111T	£19,340
5 NAB	£18,711
831 X	£18,030
CHR 112S	£17,427
3 MNA	£16,785
6 LSK	£16,400
IG 17	£16,143
96 NK	£16,143
104 SH	£16,143
MLK 1A	£16,130
770 G	£15,886
7 HSM	£15,514
1 HXD	£15,501
5 SFS	£15,116
220 E	£14,255
1 OXB	£14,217
9 RAH	£14,217
7 SFR	£14,101
850 B	£13,575
8 MUK	£12,997
24 RUN	£12,984
3 KWT	£12,946
83 KAM	£12,933
9 LJG	£12,933
LO23 NZO	£12,933
MAH 600B	£12,933
115 MYL	£12,933
2 NKD	£12,933
13 NSB	£12,933
9 NSG	£12,933
86 OS	£12,933