Catch up

Gordon MacDonald’s children, Ellie (left) and Ethan were featured in Issue 54 of The World of Personal Number Plates. Both had superb dateless 'E' plates although, at the time, Ethan was just 14 years old. Well, he is now 17 and finally able to join his sister behind the wheel.

“I bought the plates for Ellie, who is now 20, and Ethan, as a long-term investment and hopefully get them a deposit on buying their first property,” Gordon tells us.

“I see buying number plates as a better investment than money in the bank or an ISA. I’ve been a long-time buyer and seller of number plates and regularly purchase from Regtransfers.”

Here’s the original story from Issue 54

Gordon MacDonald, from Strathaven in Lanarkshire, bought two fantastic plates for his children.

Gordon, who works as a store manager for Sainsbury’s, decided to buy a plate for his son, even though Ethan is only 14. 'Whilst the numbers have no significant meaning, there is a huge potential future investment increase for this style of plate,' says Gordon. 'E could represent a first name or surname, and could be linked to E for electric vehicles in the future.'

Ethan is in his third year at secondary school. He loves football and plays for a local team. 801 E is being held on Gordon’s car for now but he will pass it on when Ethan gets his first car.

I’ve sourced a number of plates through Regtransfers over the years and been successful with buying and selling.

Ellie is currently reading maths and accountancy at Glasgow and, when she is not studying hard, she loves horse riding. Ellie has just started driving after passing her test, fault-free, at the first attempt, as she keeps reminding Gordon.

'I wanted to purchase a private plate for her first car,' says Gordon, 'so I decided on 979 E after seeing it on the Regtransfers website.'

'I’ve been into private plates for many years as an investor,' says Gordon. 'It’s a hobby which I love. I’ve sourced a number of plates through Regtransfers over the years and been successful with buying and selling. I don’t purchase for myself, I just look at what’s a potential investment and watch the market very carefully.'

'You could say I’ve turned into a number plate nerd. I love the old original issue plates that were issued from 1903 onwards and have a collection of books on the subject. I have a small collection of plates at the moment and two original issues from over 100 years ago, BX 27 and CX 65. I see a huge opportunity for investment by choosing wisely and think the market will continue to grow.'

The above article appeared in Issue 54 of The World of Personal Number Plates, our very own free magazine.

Looking for more interesting stories? Check out our other Customer stories.