Your international roundup of number plates news. This time we bring you another pricey plate from down under and pseudoscientific licence plates from the USA.
Aussie number plate sells for $2.54 million Australian dollars
A car registration number issued in the Australian state of Victoria has sold at auction for the equivalent of £1.32 million.
The black plate bears the letters 'VIC', in a small font, vertically down its left-hand side and the number 20 in larger characters on the main part of the plate. Number 20 is one of just 90 two-digit 'heritage' plates in the state.
The black plate bears the letters 'VIC', in a small font, vertically down its left-hand side and the number 20 in larger characters on the main part of the plate. Number 20 is one of just 90 two-digit 'heritage' plates in the state.
The sale makes this rare heritage registration the 31st most expensive number plate in the world.
Judging by this, and other Australian licence plates sold at auctions, it appears that Australians value similar things in their private number plates to those sought by UK buyers: low numbers, few characters and some historical context to add interest and desirability.
In January, New South Wales number 1 achieved a price of $12 million AUD (£6.44 million), making it the most expensive Australian plate ever sold. Another hefty sum paid this year was the $6.8 million AUD (£3.16 million) paid for Queensland's version of the number 1.
New York State now offer zodiac sign license plates
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in the USA has released a range of custom licence plates featuring zodiac signs. That 'What's your sign?' thing seems to be popular in America so, no doubt, drivers in New York State will be eager to show off their astrological pedigrees on their cars.
The new licence plates bear the image associated with each star sign in a circular area on the plate, while the sign's name and astrological symbol are written around the outside of the image along with a ring of stars. There are also images of the phases of the moon along the bottom of the plate.
The state of New York now offers more than 200 custom licence plate varieties, including plates that represent branches of the military and their veterans, professions, causes and sports teams. Income from sales of cause-themed custom plates supports charities, such as the World Trade Center Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Environmental Protection Fund and others.
In addition to an initial payment for their plates, purchasers of zodiac plates have to pay $31.25 annually to renew them.
Foreign number plates under scrutiny from Kyrgyzstan authorities
A combined force of police, border service, customs service and the state car registration service is carrying out raids in Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. The activity will target cars displaying foreign number plates in a bid to combat the rising issue of illegally constructed vehicles made up from foreign parts.
Engines, tyres and even car bodies are imported from Armenia and Russia and then assembled in Kyrgyzstan, thus evading the attention of customs and other authorities. Investigations will also target bogus registration certificates that are being produced abroad and then brought into the Kyrgyz Republic.
