Apr 24: Dubai’s ‘Most Noble Numbers’ charity auction, which offered bids on special vehicle number plates and exclusive mobile phone numbers, set a record for the third-most-expensive plate number sold in the world.
AA8, a single-digit number, earned Dh35 million (over Rs. 70 crore) at the Dubai auction, following the Dh38 million (over Rs 79 crore) price of the AA9 plate number last year.
After fierce bidding, the auction raised Dh53 million in support of the ‘1 Billion Meals’ campaign, which will provide food to vulnerable communities in over 50 countries.
The auction was organised by Emirates Auction and Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai (RTA).
Among the items sold at the auction was a double-digit Dubai car number plate ‘F55’ that sold for Dh4 million (more than Rs 8.23 crore). Another car plate —V66 — also went for Dh4 million, while Y66 was sold for Dh3.8 million (more than Rs 7.91 crore).
In India, a recent auction organised by the Chandigarh Registering and Licensing Authority, a Honda Activa owner in Chandigarh paid more than Rs. 15 lakh to secure himself a super VIP ‘0001’ number plate.
The Chandigarh Registration and Licensing Authority auctioned off 378 elegant registration numbers for Rs 1.5 crore, and the ‘CH01-CJ-0001’ was auctioned off at a starting price of Rs. 500,000 and sold for Rs. 15.44 lakh to Brij Mohan, who runs an advertising agency.
Brij Mohan bought this number plate to reserve it for his future vehicle, which he plans to purchase during Diwali 2022.
