‘Lucky number 8’ licence plates expected to break auction records amid Lunar New Year buzz

The previous bidding record for SA number plates was $593k just a few years ago – but this very special could make that look cheap.

One of the state’s first licence plates is being auctioned off and buyers are expected to cough up a record price of more than $1 million for the “lucky” collector’s items.

The number eight plates were among the first issued by South Australia in 1906and have since returned to the government’s hands.

However, after a successful round of auctioning last year, which saw government-owned historic plates fetch $2.26 million combined, Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said he expected “significant interest” when ”number 8” goes up for bidding later this year.

“I would be very surprised if this doesn’t go for a million dollars,” Mr Koutsantonis said.

“There’s been a lot of interest in numeric plates around the country – often people think number one is the most sought after, but different numbers have different meanings to a lot of people.

“I think this is going to generate dramatic interest.”

Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis with the highly sought-after “number 8” licence plates. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Eight is considered a particularly lucky number in Chinese culture because the word for eight – “ba” – sounds similar to the word “fa,” meaning “to create wealth”.

It also represents prosperity and victory in some numerology schools, meaning fierce competition is likely.

“Anyone across the country can bid for it, but my hope is that a South Australian gets it,” Mr Koutsantonis said, adding that money from the sale will be used to fund road management works.

The current South Australian auction record is for a bespoke “number 1” plate commemorating the Adelaide Grand Prix, which fetched $593,000 in 2020.

In 2020, the number one and number two Adelaide Grand Prix number plates sold for $593,000 and $157,000 respectively. Picture: Supplied

Historic Plates auction house dealer Stewart Kay, who had previously traded plates for the government, said the $1 million estimate “could potentially be where it lands”.

“The market is strong and if you’re thinking numerically, there’s only nine single-digit numbers that are available in that series, but not all of those have transferable rights,” Mr Kay said.

“There’s a bit of kudos to it as well – traditionally, the lower the number, the better, and eight and seven are both considered lucky for different reasons.”

Numbers 1888 and 3888 are also currently up for sale in Historic Plates’ Lunar New Year auction, with both sitting at $58,888 reserve.

Auctioneer Stewart Kay with a prized set of 888 plates in China Town, which were sold to a private buyer in 2022. Picture: Matt Turner

Mr Kay said interest in historic plates had grown on the back of remarkable appreciation values, with some purchased thirty years ago for a couple of thousand dollars now selling for more than $300,000.

“They’ve proven a really spectacular investment for people who hold onto them over the years,” he said.

“We’ve got grandparents buying them for their grandchildren, or couples to commemorate the year of their wedding.

“As an investment, they’ve certainly outperformed many stocks, and it’s essentially a piece of tin so it doesn’t require a whole lot of maintenance.”

For the time being, the New South Wales “number 1” plate sold in January is likely to hold the Australia-wide bidding record – a whopping $10 million.