Think about your number plate and make the right decision

Sunderland and Newcastle. Tyne-side and Wear-side. Geordies and Mackems. They’ve never been the best of friends, but a man in Sunderland has decided that the grief he receives in Newcastle, over one of his most loved possessions, has become too much to bear.

Gavin Johnson will sell his car number plate on eBay.

Bought over eight years ago, the life-long Black Cats fan is now auctioning off his M14KUM, or “Mackem”, number plate to the highest bidder. Every time he goes to Tyneside, he’s aware of people staring at his car and muttering. He’s begun to notice odd things when he comes back to his car; there are scratches that weren’t there before?

“And the last time I was in Newcastle, someone spat on my car!” he says, “How horrible is that?”

It’s easy to assume that this would send the 48-year-old Heavy Goods Vehicle driver into a rage, the heat of which would scorch the ground around him, whilst his glasses steamed and cracked on his face, the metal returning to its molten state and running down like tears.

But instead, he has buckled. The Geordies have won, and he is selling his beloved. Sending it off into the dark, cold night to save his own skin. He was going to give it to his son, but what father would be cruel enough to curse the fruit of their loins with such a burden?

This story highlights the importance of picking the right combination of numbers and letters when choosing a custom number plate. After a little thought has been devoted to it, what might seem like a great idea at first may be exposed as the idiotic manoeuvre it really is.

We all know the story of Big Abe, who bought the number plate “B16ABE” for his car. His family and friends were elated to see him with it, and he was the talk of the town for years afterwards. Big Abe was clever, and thought about how his number plate would be received.

So, be more like Big Abe, and less like Gavin Johnson. Think about your number plate, and buy one you’ll be able to love and live with forever. 

Sunderland and Newcastle. Tyne-side and Wear-side. Geordies and Mackems. They’ve never been the best of friends, but a man in Sunderland has decided that the grief he receives in Newcastle, over one of his most loved possessions, has become too much to bear.

Gavin Johnson will sell his car number plate on eBay.

Bought over eight years ago, the life-long Black Cats fan is now auctioning off his M14KUM, or “Mackem”, number plate to the highest bidder. Every time he goes to Tyneside, he’s aware of people staring at his car and muttering. He’s begun to notice odd things when he comes back to his car; there are scratches that weren’t there before?

“And the last time I was in Newcastle, someone spat on my car!” he says, “How horrible is that?”

It’s easy to assume that this would send the 48-year-old Heavy Goods Vehicle driver into a rage, the heat of which would scorch the ground around him, whilst his glasses steamed and cracked on his face, the metal returning to its molten state and running down like tears.

But instead, he has buckled. The Geordies have won, and he is selling his beloved. Sending it off into the dark, cold night to save his own skin. He was going to give it to his son, but what father would be cruel enough to curse the fruit of their loins with such a burden?

This story highlights the importance of picking the right combination of numbers and letters when choosing a custom number plate. After a little thought has been devoted to it, what might seem like a great idea at first may be exposed as the idiotic manoeuvre it really is.

We all know the story of Big Abe, who bought the number plate “B16ABE” for his car. His family and friends were elated to see him with it, and he was the talk of the town for years afterwards. Big Abe was clever, and thought about how his number plate would be received.

So, be more like Big Abe, and less like Gavin Johnson. Think about your number plate, and buy one you’ll be able to love and live with forever.