The price is right for rare registrations

Motorists wanting to place a piece of history on their vehicle will have to come up with a minimum of £10,000 when the rare registration 1 O goes under the hammer at the first DVLA Personalised Registrations auction of 2009.

3 S and 1 HRH - with reserves of £8,000 and £3,200 respectively - also fall within the registrations of high-value category among the 1,600 being featured at the three-day auction set to commence at Whittlebury Hall, near Towcester, Northamptonshire, on January 28.

The fact DVLA has set a £10,000 reserve on 1 O – seen by many private plate enthusiasts as arguably one of the last great registrations available from its 30 million-strong war chest – supports its value if it sells when the gavel falls at approximately 9am on Friday, January 30.

Putting the plates’ values into perspective, retired Surrey-based businessman Rob Harverson bought 1 RH for a staggering £247,000 at its final auction of 2008.

Damian Lawson, DVLA Personalised Registrations’ Marketing Manager, said: “For the personalised registration connoisseur 1 O is arguably one of rarest plates available and, as such, we have set the highest reserve we’ve ever set on one of our auction plates, but one I am confident it will exceed it.”

The auction will consist of an eclectic mix of personalised registrations including some to suit all car owners and motorists of all tastes including CO57 TAS (reserve £900), DAM 144N (£900), DOR IIIS (£500), EA57 ERN (£1,000), EAR 17H (£350), HAM 155H (£900), JUD 177H (£700), KYL IIIE (£900), MAG 991E (£900), 57 OKE (£1,900), ORV 111L (£400), OUR 7OY (£900) and SPA 11N (£900).