Number plates Dominate at Shannons

By: James Robinson, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 26.09.2017

Pieces of metal outshine automobiles

Shannons’ Melbourne Spring Classic Auction was a rather interesting evening that saw some lots smashing price estimates and other lots greatly underperforming.

What was even more interesting is that, for the most part, it was the cars that underachieved, with the likes of the 1969 Holden HT GTS Monaro 350 Coupe passing in for $105,000 against an $110,000-$120,000 estimate and the ’69 Falcon XW GS selling for $38,000, which was well under the $40,000-$50,000 price guide.

Other cars that didn’t perform as well as we expected included the 1979 Series 1 Mazda RX-7, which sold for $14,000 against an estimate of $25,000-$35,000, the 1987 AC Autokraft Cobra MkIV, which passed in at $145,000 against an estimate of $150,000-$170,000 and the 1969 Chrysler Valiant VF Regal sedan, which went for a low $6000 against a price guide of $8000-$12,000.

The real stars of the Shannons auction were in fact the number plates, which all smashed their estimates:

• VIC 66.333 - $25,000 ($12,000 - $16,000)
• VIC 9.444 - $37,000 ($20,000 - $30,000)
• VIC 22.797 - $26,500 ($12,000 - $16,000)
• VIC 5.511 - $40,000 ($20,000 - $30,000)
• VIC 22.224 - $33,000 ($12,000 - $16,000)
• VIC 3.777 - $57,000 ($20,000 - $30,000)
• VIC 905 - $103,000 ($50,000 - $70,000)
• VIC 1.116 - $61,000 ($20,000 - $30,000)
• VIC 447 - $112,000 ($50,000 - $70,000)
• VIC 682 - $144,000 ($50,000 - $70,000)
• VIC 812 - $166,000 ($50,000 - $70,000)
• VIC 560 - $132,000 ($50,000 - $70,000)
• VIC 303 - $203,000 ($125,000 - $145,000)

That's a combined total of $1,139,500!

What was even more incredible than the prices these number plates achieved though was the fervour in which they were bid on, it was frenzied and almost manic at stages, as prices soared past estimates almost immediately.

It was also interesting to note that the vast majority of all the number plates on offer were bid on by the same individuals.

All and all it was a pretty exciting night to witness, especially when the mayhem of the number plate bidding was in full swing.

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