View of part of the Fujairah Corniche and the Hajar Mountains in the Background

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Buying Expensive Number Plates Still Popular in UAE

Buying Number Plates
One of the pastimes of the rich in the United Arab Emirates is bidding and buying car number plates.

The auctions are held each month with a margin of the proceeds going to a good cause.

A total of Dh23 million ($6.25 million) was paid out this month for the 105 number plates offered at Dubai’s 62nd auction.

Top Prices This Month
The top price paid this month was Dh1.39 million ($378,600) for number plate ‘G60’ (the less and lower the digits the more expensive the plate).

The second price was Dh1.3 million ($354,000) for ‘G27’.

The third price was Dh1.25 million ($340,500) for ‘H90’.

The fourth price was Dh1.18 million ($321,400) for ‘G45’.

Record Price
Dh1.39 million is not quite as high as the Dh52.2 million ($14.2 million) which was paid in February 2008 for ‘1’ and entered into the Guinness book of World Records as “the most expensive number plate.”

Expensive Hobby
Despite talk of a financial recession the rich still seem to have pots of cash to spend on their number plate fetish.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: Some of the most expensive car number plates in the world.