7 T Plate Upstages 3 O at DVLA Show

The next chapter of the 'O' registration saga unfolded on Friday 5th June with another of the previously unreleased series of plates selling for more than £63,000 at auction.

However, it was finally 7 T which stole the show at the conclusion of a three-day event hosted by the DVLA at Wychwood Park in Cheshire last week, setting it's new owner back by more than £80,000.

The Devonshire County Council's 'T' registration series first appeared in 1903, but with the letter as the prefix - beginning with T 1. The suffix versions were not used and examples such as 7 T have only just become available.

The runner-up in the high-price stakes was 3 O at £63,000. Again, these suffix plates were not allocated after the prefix versions, O 1 etc. were registered with Birmingham County Borough Council starting in 1904.

3 O's 'sister' plates, 1 O and 2 O were sold at earlier auctions - raising £197,000 and £142,000 respectively and further siblings, 4 O, 5 O and 6 O are in the catalogues for the next three successive DVLA sales later this year. The difference in prices commanded so far by these extraordinary plates clearly reflect the overwhelming desirability of the lower indices.

Elsewhere in the auction, a fantastic variety of plates went to good homes. From the amusing MRS 805S (£6,923), A007 SPY (£6,676) and NOT 600D (£6,429) to 96 JS (£7,294), DER 6Y (£7,541), 81 BD (£7,170) and ADS 12 (£7,047) - all of which proved to have enormous appeal to their new owners.

The next DVLA auction will be held at the RBS Williams F1 Conference Centre, Wantage, Oxfordshire on 5th, 6th, 7th August 2009.

[Prices shown include taxes and fees]

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