Rare 1 registration fetches a fortune

Retired businessman Rob Harverson stunned all at the DVLA Personalised Registrations auction with a winning bid of £197,000 for the registration 1 RH.

The Surrey-based 47-year-old handed over a total of £247,652.50 – 30 times the registration’s reserve during the final day of the three day DVLA event staged at the Tankersley Manor hotel, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

The multi-millionaire, who already owns 10 private plates, fended off competition from Skegness businessman, Richard Harris, and then declared, “nothing was going to stop him buying the plate!”

Rob said: “I came with £150,000 to spend but, in the end, I was just determined to buy 1 RH and nothing was going to stop me. Richard made me sweat a little but it is the ultimate registration for me.”

Damian Lawson, marketing manager for DVLA Personalised Registrations, said: “I’m absolutely delighted for the Agency. The sum 1 RH achieved far exceeded our expectations.”

While DVLA Personalised Registrations holds more than 30 million registrations, 1 RH was deemed as one of the last jewels in its crown, its value being down to its single digit 1, combined with the “popular” letters R and H.