Cherished Number Plate Information

Information about cherished number plate OBE 1.

This combination was issued from 1956

This plate would have been issued by Lincolnshire (Lindsey) C.C. (currently Lincoln (Grimsby)).

When choosing a personalised number plate, one must be aware that the selected registration plate must not be newer than the vehicle it is being paired with. This is because a newer plate on an older car would give the impression that the vehicle is more modern than it truly is. This applies to all registration numbers that have age-identifiers (introduced in 1963 to today). However, dateless registrations are also available. These are popular because they are succinct, extremely scarce, and can be displayed on any car.

One may choose to display a plate that depicts a name, a favourite hobby or a word that can be associated with one’s employment. There are several celebrity examples of this. Sir Alan Sugar owns the highly prestigious registration, AMS 1, which contains his initials, while Linda Lusardi owns LU54 RDY. On the other hand, celebrity chef and TV host, James Martin, chooses to display 6 HEF (chef), which refers to his hobby and profession, while professional boxer, Amir Khan, owns the ideal plate for him: BOX 111G.

The popularity of personalized car numbers has created a very healthy marketplace. Whereas the majority of owners acquire their numbers for pleasure, there are an increasing number of investment-conscious purchasers who acquire their plates with a view to selling them later at a profit. A former BBC Top Gear presenter is widely quoted as having said that a well chosen private number can be better than money in the bank. Certainly some of Britain's most astute business people are converted to the personal registrations cause. Sir Alan Sugar, Duncan Bannatyne, Theo Paphitis - they all own carefully chosen cherished numbers.