'Porsche' 911 number plate sells for auction record $525,000
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'Porsche' 911 number plate sells for auction record $525,000

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By Shannons - 16 October 2018

• Total plate sales of $3.5-plus million

• Combined $881,000 paid for the consecutive Victorian plates ‘104’, ‘105’ and ‘106’

• Shannons now holds the auction record for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5-digit Australian number plates

Two determined floor bidders at Shannons Rare Heritage Number Plate Auction at Melbourne’s Motorclassica on October 13 drove the price for the Victorian black and white Heritage number plate 911 to an Australian auction record. The plate is pictured with Shannons National Auction Manager, Christophe Boribon and a current-model Porsche 911T coupe.

What’s in a number? An Australian auction record $525,000 if it’s the hallowed Porsche model number ‘911’!

That was the verdict of bidders at Shannons Rare Heritage Number Plate Auction held at Motorclassica at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on October 13, where 30 rare and valuable Victorian numerical, black and white Heritage plates from private vendors and VicRoads brought more than $3.5 million.

The previous record for a Victorian three-digit plate was $510,000 paid for ‘101`’ at Shannons Melbourne Autumn Classic Auction in April this year.

The Porsche plate was a clear favourite, with offers starting at $300,000 and soaring above its $400,000 high estimate as two floor bidders fought over the ‘right to display’ the historic plate, which was originally issued more than 100 years ago to a resident of East Melbourne. It has been in the same Melbourne family since the early 1980s and came to auction for the first time since.

The plate ‘105’ brought the best result of three consecutive low-number Heritage plates at the Motorclassica sale, selling with ‘no reserve’ for $325,000.

‘911’ out-performed the 12 other numerically-lower triple-digit number plates in the auction, including the consecutive plates numbers ‘104’, ‘105’ and ‘106’ – the first time in many years that a low number three-digit sequence of Victorian plates has been offered at auction.

The trio sold with ‘no reserve’ to individual bidders for a combined $881,000, with the plate ‘105’ achieving the highest individual price of $325,000.

The Victorian plate ‘5.000’ sold for an auction record $150,000 for a four-digit number plate.

In other notable results of the Shannons Motorclassica sale, the Victorian numerical plate ‘5.000’ sold for a four-digit auction record $150,000, while ’88.999’ brought the highest price paid for a Victorian five-digit plate at $62,000.

The number ‘8.886’ was one of several ‘lucky’ number combinations to do well at the Shannons Rare Heritage Number Plate Auction held at Motorclassica on October 13, bringing $101,000.

Shannons already holds the Australian auction records for single and double-digit numerical black and white plate sales, with the New South Wales Heritage plate ‘4’ bringing $2.45 million at Shannons 2017 Sydney Winter auction, while the NSW plate ‘29’ sold for $745,000 at Shannons Sydney Autumn Classic Auction three months earlier.

The record price achieved by ‘911’ mirrors the increased values of early and rare Porsche models in recent years and the particular significance of the Porsche 911 to collectors and enthusiasts.

Amongst other notable sales, the numerically ‘lucky’ plates ‘5.588’ and ‘8.886’ sold respectively for $72,000 and $101,000, while the highest price achieved by a six-digit plate was $24,000 for ‘102.102’,  which was offered with ‘no reserve'.

View all Shannons October 13 Rare Number Plate Auction in Conjunction with Motorclassica Results

For more information on the auction contact Christophe Boribon on (03) 8588 0809, or 13 4646 (Option 5) or email auctions@shannons.com.au.

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