Are Private Number Plates a Good Investment?

A perhaps surprising hit in the investment market in recent years has been in the area of personalised car number plates. Surprising perhaps because on the surface of things car registration plates could seen like a somewhat hum drum part of life reflecting the bureaucratic nature of our society; the idea of recording the age, status and ownership details of a vehicle does not obviously seem like a shrewd money making idea.

On closer examination though, the very idea that a personalised number plate is exactly that, personal, is where the clue to the hidden value of some of these plates lies. By definition there can only be one plate that perfectly encapsulates someone's name, message about themselves or sense of fun. Herein lays the value. Whilst it is perfectly possible to be creative with combinations of numbers and letters (and anyone who might be good at this might be onto something), there are going to be some one off combinations that are going to be perennially popular. VIP 1 and F1 can only happen once and this has been reflected in their incredible sale prices in recent years in the hundreds of thousands of pounds.

For those of us working within more modest means there are still going to be opportunities based on the fact that someone may want what we have got and be prepared to pay good money for it. If you have a knack for working with words, abbreviations and colloquialisms you may be able to come up with something previously not thought of, especially as forms of language constantly develop through means such as the advent of text language on mobile phones. If you can think of something new that might appeal to certain names or professions you ought to be able to get it at a reasonable price to start with giving it a good chance of a higher resale value later.

Other means of getting hold of private number plates at a reasonable rate to start with includes going to DVLA auctions or looking in the local papers or classified ads. Private number plate dealers can attend auctions for you, which would save you time and the associated costs of going yourself.

If you are planning to add car registration plates to you business portfolio, then one factor to consider is what types of plates are likely to be easy to resell. Whilst supply and demand levels of any product can be difficult to second guess, if you can get hold of plates with common initials, short words or fun abbreviations then the chances of reselling easily will be enhanced.

When you are looking to sell your number plate, then most car registration plate dealers will provide you with a free valuation and will be able to find out if someone is already looking for your plate or something close to it. So if you are looking for somewhere other than the stock market to put some of your money you could investigate this area and potentially enjoy decent financial returns in what seems to be a burgeoning area of investment.

For interviews, quotes, images or comments contact:
Jayne Henry
Tel(DDI): 02866 387 124
E-mail: sales@speedyreg.co.uk