Order your copy NOW at: · said to me ‘You have the plans why don’t you build one?’ I thought, Yes, I think I will! The car has taken me 2 years to build in total - in the

Vol 1, Issue 1The World of Personal Number Plates Regtransfers.co.ukPERSONAL NUMBER PLATES

P 6

EXPRESSION OF THANKSI had to write to you to express mythanks for the efficient way in whichyou handled my purchase and theadministration of my registration.

From the first phone call, my everyenquiry was dealt with courtesy andefficiency. Your staff were alwayshelpful and answered any enquiry Imade about purchasing a registration.

I have already recommended yourcompany to a friend and would do soto anybody else who wished topurchase a registration.

M. W. JULIANBeverley, East Yorkshire

JUST WHAT THE DOCTORORDEREDVery many thanks for sending the newbook which I think is magnificent. Iwent down with a virus and wasconfined to bed, so your book was ‘justwhat the doctor ordered’ to cheer meup. I found it fascinating from cover tocover and only wish it were three timeslonger! Congratulations anyway, and Ihope it will be a big success.

PETER ROBSONScarborough

TREASURED GIFTThank you so very much for the lovelybook you sent to me. It arrived justbefore Christmas and really was oneof my most treasured gifts.

I just know dear Bob will be lookingdown and feeling really proud andhonoured that our story was featuredin your special book. I am so glad Ipurchased my number plate from you,and feel part of a special group now.

NICHOLA DIXBottisham, Cambs

‘LITTLE SCORP IN PRINT’Thank you very much for sending me acopy of your lovely book, ‘Fanaticalabout Number Plates’. It’s sointeresting and beautifully done andI’m thrilled with ‘our page’.

Our families and friends were allsurprised and pleased to see it. Theyall agree that Tony would have beenabsolutely delighted to see ‘LittleScorp’ in print.

GILL BURGESSWorthing, West Sussex

SATISFIED CUSTOMERThank you so much to JayneSimmonds who has been most helpfuland kind. The little gift is a mark ofappreciation. Jayne’s voice has what Icall “a built in smile”.

KEITH MINETTBromley, Kent

LIVING BY THE BOOKI have recently completed thepurchase and transfer of myregistration number throughyourselves and had to write to thankyou so much for the excellent serviceyou provided throughout the process.

I found your staff to be pleasantcourteous and above allknowledgeable about the progress ofmy particular transfer.

I have been looking for a plate on andoff for some time now and wasdelighted to come across the 62 BRUone as this not only fits my first nameBruce, but it is also the year I wasborn. I have now registered my wife onyour reg alert scheme looking for 65 JEN.

BRUCE CAMPBELLAberdeen, Scotland

LettersSend your letters to:The Editor, Regtransfers139, High Street SouthDunstableBedfordshireLU6 3SS

Order your copy NOW at: www.regtransfers.co.ukor call 01582 606105


P 6

The World of Personal Number Plates Regtransfers.co.ukVol 1, Issue 1 PERSONAL NUMBER PLATES

P 7

Tony Green, from Lancashire hasbuilt his own ‘Truly Scrumptious’replica of the film car Chitty Chitty

Bang Bang, under licensed agreement withMGM. For the finishing touch, Tony turnedto Regtransfers for an essential GENnumber plate - GEN 11 was famously onthe original car. GEN is short for ‘genii’ - inkeeping with the fictional car’s magicpowers. Tony had registered his interest in aGEN number with Regtransfers ‘Wants List’service and was delighted when GEN 22was found.

The classic 1968 film, about an eccentricinventor, Caractacus Potts and the amazingcar he restores, was produced byAlbert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, of the JamesBond series of films. It is no coincidencethat the film was based on a series of storiesby Bond author, Ian Fleming. The

screenplay was written by Roald Dahl inconjunction with Richard Maibaum and thefilm’s director, Ken Hughes.

The original car was designed by KenAdams and Rowland Emmett, along withthe Ford Racing team. A Ford V6 enginewas used. The final car weighedapproximately 2 tons and was 17 feet long.Built on a custom-made ladder framechassis, it was hardwearing enough towithstand every type of surface it would bedriven on - from staircases to sand!

Tony’s car is not the first replica built -several versions were created as stand-ins forthe more dangerous scenes in the film.

Tony said, “I remember seeing the film in1968 and it had a big influence on me at thetime. I still think today that it has all theright ‘ingredients’ to entertain generations tocome.

“I started collecting Chitty memorabilia, andbefore long I was showing it at variousexhibitions around the UK. People keptasking me if I owned the original car.I hated having to say no, so when someonesaid to me ‘You have the plans why don’tyou build one?’ I thought, Yes, I think I will!The car has taken me 2 years to build intotal - in the evenings and at weekends.

“I have followed the master plans faithfullyand one of the film’s car builders hasfinished the planking to the boat section forme.

The car wouldn’t be complete without aGEN number plate of course! Now the caris finished, I will be exhibiting it around thecountry. I have already appeared on theRichard & Judy show on Channel 4.”

It looks like a little bit of ‘Chitty’ magiccomes alive for Tony!

“A Truly Scrumptious Car”

...not to mention the number plate


P 6

EXPRESSION OF THANKSI had to write to you to express mythanks for the efficient way in whichyou handled my purchase and theadministration of my registration.

From the first phone call, my everyenquiry was dealt with courtesy andefficiency. Your staff were alwayshelpful and answered any enquiry Imade about purchasing a registration.

I have already recommended yourcompany to a friend and would do soto anybody else who wished topurchase a registration.

M. W. JULIANBeverley, East Yorkshire

JUST WHAT THE DOCTORORDEREDVery many thanks for sending the newbook which I think is magnificent. Iwent down with a virus and wasconfined to bed, so your book was ‘justwhat the doctor ordered’ to cheer meup. I found it fascinating from cover tocover and only wish it were three timeslonger! Congratulations anyway, and Ihope it will be a big success.

PETER ROBSONScarborough

TREASURED GIFTThank you so very much for the lovelybook you sent to me. It arrived justbefore Christmas and really was oneof my most treasured gifts.

I just know dear Bob will be lookingdown and feeling really proud andhonoured that our story was featuredin your special book. I am so glad Ipurchased my number plate from you,and feel part of a special group now.

NICHOLA DIXBottisham, Cambs

‘LITTLE SCORP IN PRINT’Thank you very much for sending me acopy of your lovely book, ‘Fanaticalabout Number Plates’. It’s sointeresting and beautifully done andI’m thrilled with ‘our page’.

Our families and friends were allsurprised and pleased to see it. Theyall agree that Tony would have beenabsolutely delighted to see ‘LittleScorp’ in print.

GILL BURGESSWorthing, West Sussex

SATISFIED CUSTOMERThank you so much to JayneSimmonds who has been most helpfuland kind. The little gift is a mark ofappreciation. Jayne’s voice has what Icall “a built in smile”.

KEITH MINETTBromley, Kent

LIVING BY THE BOOKI have recently completed thepurchase and transfer of myregistration number throughyourselves and had to write to thankyou so much for the excellent serviceyou provided throughout the process.

I found your staff to be pleasantcourteous and above allknowledgeable about the progress ofmy particular transfer.

I have been looking for a plate on andoff for some time now and wasdelighted to come across the 62 BRUone as this not only fits my first nameBruce, but it is also the year I wasborn. I have now registered my wife onyour reg alert scheme looking for 65 JEN.

BRUCE CAMPBELLAberdeen, Scotland

LettersSend your letters to:The Editor, Regtransfers139, High Street SouthDunstableBedfordshireLU6 3SS

Order your copy NOW at: www.regtransfers.co.ukor call 01582 606105


P 6

A 1is widely thought to have been the firstnumber plate issued in Britain. Althoughundoubtedly the first chronologically, and

certainly the first issued by London, evidence shows thatother authorities started issuing registrations slightly earlierthan London.

Earl Russell, amongst others, queued all night outside theLondon County Council offices in the hope of having A 1assigned to his vehicle. He eventually managed to secure it bya mere 5 seconds! The ‘Car Illustrated’ dated 23 December1903 said, “There has been some amount of competition for the securing of the number plate A 1 and this has been acquired by Earl Russell for his Napier car.A Mr. L. H. Oliver of Edgware claims the distinction ofpersonally handing the certificate for A 1 over to EarlRussell”.

The chairman of London County Council later held A 1 for

a short period of time. George V. Petty bought the car with

the number on in 1907, transferring it to several vehicles

over the years. Mr. Petty died in 1950, bequeathing the car

and the plate to Trevor T. Laker. It is thought that this is

probably the first time that a registration number had been

mentioned in a will. The specific detail in the will requested

that Mr. Laker use the number until his death when it should

be sold and the proceeds donated to a dogs’ charity. He was

no doubt the envy of all car drivers. He turned down many

generous offers, but always refused to sell. When he became

an old man he finally sold A 1 to Dunlop Holdings Ltd, on

the understanding that they would not receive the number

until his death, and that £2,500 be donated to the Guide

Dogs for the Blind Association. Mr. Laker died in 1970.

A LegendaryNumber Plate


P 5

A 1is widely thought to have been the firstnumber plate issued in Britain. Althoughundoubtedly the first chronologically, and

certainly the first issued by London, evidence shows thatother authorities started issuing registrations slightly earlierthan London.

Earl Russell, amongst others, queued all night outside theLondon County Council offices in the hope of having A 1assigned to his vehicle. He eventually managed to secure it bya mere 5 seconds! The ‘Car Illustrated’ dated 23 December1903 said, “There has been some amount of competition for the securing of the number plate A 1 and this has been acquired by Earl Russell for his Napier car.A Mr. L. H. Oliver of Edgware claims the distinction ofpersonally handing the certificate for A 1 over to EarlRussell”.

The chairman of London County Council later held A 1 for

a short period of time. George V. Petty bought the car with

the number on in 1907, transferring it to several vehicles

over the years. Mr. Petty died in 1950, bequeathing the car

and the plate to Trevor T. Laker. It is thought that this is

probably the first time that a registration number had been

mentioned in a will. The specific detail in the will requested

that Mr. Laker use the number until his death when it should

be sold and the proceeds donated to a dogs’ charity. He was

no doubt the envy of all car drivers. He turned down many

generous offers, but always refused to sell. When he became

an old man he finally sold A 1 to Dunlop Holdings Ltd, on

the understanding that they would not receive the number

until his death, and that £2,500 be donated to the Guide

Dogs for the Blind Association. Mr. Laker died in 1970.

A LegendaryNumber Plate


P 5

Bill Spence of Kirkwall in Orkney isthe proud new owner of BS 1. Billsaid: “Not only is the plate to mark

100 years of my shipbroking andstevedoring company, John Jolly but also,I am glad to say, BS 1 is finally coming hometo Orkney where it was first registered on15 March 1904. Of course it is also myinitials too. It looks fantastic on my JaguarXK8. I have been looking through the oldOrkney records in the Kirkwall Archive toestablish its provenance.

“It was originally assigned to WilliamMacLennan of Grainbank who held theregistration for 8 years until 1912 when JohnMcEwan, Rector of Kirkwall GrammarSchool, obtained it. Subsequently it wasassigned to the Manager of the NationalBank in Kirkwall, George Drever. Then in1921 Charles Haydon of Lynnfield put thenumber on his new Crossley.

“Eight years later the number was inVictoria Street, Stromness when the car wasowned by John Robert Cursiter; then, inearly 1930 the Crossley bearing BS 1 wassold to John M. F. Groat of Moasound,Longhope.

“I first saw BS 1 on the old Crossley inJMF's coal store in the 1950's soon before itleft Orkney to go to Sheffield where it wasallocated to Bob Stanley.”

Bill discovered in the Orkney records thatBS 3 was actually the first number registeredin Orkney on 21 January 1904. He alsofound out that the author, George BernardShaw was allocated BS 73 on 5 November1908 and that the motorcycle championBarry Sheen had BS 7 at one time.

Bill himself already owns BS 15, BS 38,BS 43, BS 47 and BS 4747 and his late wifeMargaret's grandfather owned BS 14.

“For BS 1's 100th birthday in 2004 I'd liketo trace the owners of old cherished BSnumbers - authentic ones that were issuedoriginally. I would like to hold a reunion inOrkney during the springtime of 2004 -perhaps around the week preceding15 March - and have the owners with theircars come to Orkney for a weekend of funand maybe have a group photo taken of usall with our old plates. It could be amemorable event”.If you would like toattend contact:Bill Spence, P.O. Box 2, KIRKWALL,Orkney KW15 1HR.

Famous PlateBS 1 returns

home


P 41

Ivan Scott, from Burnley inLancashire, is pushing his hobby ofcollecting personalised number

plates beyond just buying them for fun,he is now buying and selling them withinvestment firmly in mind.

For instance, he had to wait 17 yearsbefore he had the chance to buy hisultimate plate - 1 VY (Ivy is hisnickname), but 18 months later he hadan offer for it that he just felt hecouldn’t turn down, so he sold it again.

More recently Ivan has bought 11 YSfor his daughter Yasmin’s eleventhbirthday. He said: “Yasmin is delighted

with the present. The plate is currentlyon our Citroen people carrier, but ofcourse it will stay with her for as longas she wants it.” Ivan currently hasOVA 1 on his Mercedes, which is anexcellent plate for anyone interested incricket, and he has 3 VN on his BMW.

“I enjoy seeing the number plates on my cars, it makes them look specialand personalises them so they standout.

“Stuart Henson, the salesman atRegtransfers.co.uk has given me somegreat advice on what to buy,I am very grateful to him.”


P 16

ASound Investment

OVA I

I VY

3 VN

“If you buy your number wisely, it will honestly bebetter than money in the bank,” said QuentinWillson in BBC Top Gear Magazine. Indeed many

investment markets cannot claim to “buck the trend”, but oneexception over the last 10 years has been the CherishedNumber Plate industry.

In 21 years of trading at Regtransfers, we have found thatnumber plate values have increased year on year. Investing inthis market place is fast becoming recognised as a soundfinancial move by many people.

Number plates have been bought and sold since the 1960's,but it has only been in more recent years that their valueshave massively increased.

Many of our clients have valuable collections of numbers thatthey enjoy on a personal level as well as the financial security

they can bring.These plates areoften passed on toloved ones in theirwills, as animportant part oftheir estate.

With thecombinations

changing every six months now, there is plenty ofopportunity to invest in the new numbers as well as the old.

Many of our clients are thinking up words and names for thenew style number plates, buying up several, then selling themon at a profit. Many clients take a long-term view and compilehugely valuable collections over many years. Even if you onlyhave one on a car the other numbers can be held safely onretentioncertificates.

Some examples ofcherished numberplate prices areshown opposite,illustrating thecurrent value againstthe cost when firstpurchased.

Although this isonly a smallselection it showsthe immense increase in cherished registration values over thelast 10 years. Investing in personalised numbers is certainlynot the most obvious of choices, but it is becoming a seriousproposition to businessmen and investors alike.

'Number One' plates such as 1 NU, name plates such as1 UCY and pairs of plates such as 1 WET and WET 1 are thetypes of plates which are the most desirable, thus the mostlikely to increase in value.

Registration Date Price Currentof Sale then Value

1 NU 1995 £2,400 £25,000 1 VV 1995 £5,800 £20,000 WKS 1 1994 £2,200 £12,000 1 TCB 1992 £3,000 £15,000 NSH 1 1994 £2,600 £15,000 PAU 1Y 1996 £3,000 £20,000 1 OY 1994 £3,400 £25,000 1 OA 1992 £3,200 £17,500 HPS 1 1994 £3,300 £12,500 1 SAJ 1995 £3,300 £12,500


P 17

Ivan Scott, from Burnley inLancashire, is pushing his hobby ofcollecting personalised number

plates beyond just buying them for fun,he is now buying and selling them withinvestment firmly in mind.

For instance, he had to wait 17 yearsbefore he had the chance to buy hisultimate plate - 1 VY (Ivy is hisnickname), but 18 months later he hadan offer for it that he just felt hecouldn’t turn down, so he sold it again.

More recently Ivan has bought 11 YSfor his daughter Yasmin’s eleventhbirthday. He said: “Yasmin is delighted

with the present. The plate is currentlyon our Citroen people carrier, but ofcourse it will stay with her for as longas she wants it.” Ivan currently hasOVA 1 on his Mercedes, which is anexcellent plate for anyone interested incricket, and he has 3 VN on his BMW.

“I enjoy seeing the number plates on my cars, it makes them look specialand personalises them so they standout.

“Stuart Henson, the salesman atRegtransfers.co.uk has given me somegreat advice on what to buy,I am very grateful to him.”


P 16

ASound Investment

OVA I

I VY

3 VN

Vol 1, Issue 1The World of Personal Number Plates Regtransfers.co.ukPERSONAL NUMBER PLATESP 24

Triple DE

From the age of 19, DeepakBhatia has been involved in thefamily businesses:

JD Enterprises, JD Asset ManagementPlc and Dormouse Babywear Plc.

Just seven years later, Deepak isManaging Director, having taken overfrom his late Father. Now Deepak iscelebrating the growing success of thegroup by building his collection ofpersonalised number plates with anastonishingly apt set – DEE 1, DEE 2& DEE 3.

“We recently launched a new range ofbabywear specifically for prematurebabies called ‘Tiny Dee’ to run alongside the already successful ‘Baby Dee’clothes. This is in addition to our boy’srange called ‘Dee’ and for girls ‘MissDee’, so the number plates really arespot on! The clothes are all excellentquality and very much in line with highfashion trends. One of our biggest andmost famous customers is Harrods.

“I have always had an interest inpersonal number plates. My first

number plate was M3 BOY for myBMW when I was 21 years old. Itattracted a lot of attention! Then I hadM5 BOY followed by 9 DEE and 50 DB”, said Deepak.

“I subscribed to Regtransfers‘Reg Alert’ service and received anemail from them just as I was goinghome one evening. It said that DEE 1had just become available. I was soexcited, I had to buy it straight away! It was soon after that when DEE 2 andDEE 3 came onto the market too.


P 25

“We get comments about the plates allthe time – its just another form ofadvertising for us – another reason forpeople to remember us.

“I’m pleased to say that my sisterJoti (the J in JD) has recently finishedUniversity and joined the familybusiness. I’m hoping that she’ll soon beable to take some of the workload offmy hands so that I can put my feet upfor the first time in seven years!”

EELIGHT

Vol 1, Issue 1The World of Personal Number Plates Regtransfers.co.ukPERSONAL NUMBER PLATESP 24

Triple DE

From the age of 19, DeepakBhatia has been involved in thefamily businesses:

JD Enterprises, JD Asset ManagementPlc and Dormouse Babywear Plc.

Just seven years later, Deepak isManaging Director, having taken overfrom his late Father. Now Deepak iscelebrating the growing success of thegroup by building his collection ofpersonalised number plates with anastonishingly apt set – DEE 1, DEE 2& DEE 3.

“We recently launched a new range ofbabywear specifically for prematurebabies called ‘Tiny Dee’ to run alongside the already successful ‘Baby Dee’clothes. This is in addition to our boy’srange called ‘Dee’ and for girls ‘MissDee’, so the number plates really arespot on! The clothes are all excellentquality and very much in line with highfashion trends. One of our biggest andmost famous customers is Harrods.

“I have always had an interest inpersonal number plates. My first

number plate was M3 BOY for myBMW when I was 21 years old. Itattracted a lot of attention! Then I hadM5 BOY followed by 9 DEE and 50 DB”, said Deepak.

“I subscribed to Regtransfers‘Reg Alert’ service and received anemail from them just as I was goinghome one evening. It said that DEE 1had just become available. I was soexcited, I had to buy it straight away! It was soon after that when DEE 2 andDEE 3 came onto the market too.


P 57

A Word from the RNC by Rod Lomax, RNC Publicity Officer

RNC Rally at Stanford Hall last year

Welcome to the RegistrationNumbers Club regular columnin the brand new RegTransfers

quarterly magazine.

For those passionately interested incherished or personalised vehicleregistration numbers perhaps a littlehistory about this independent clubmight prove useful.

Founded in 1977, the RegistrationNumbers Club is the only UK basedclub for enthusiasts of this fascinatingsubject. It is dedicated to preserving theright to hold and transfer cherishedvehicle registration numbers, a rightwhich has been held since 1903 andwhich was once withdrawn in 1977 bythe then DVLC following a strike by civilservants at its Swansea headquarters.

Former rally driver Alex Jackson ofLeeds, was so concerned about thesituation that he joined forces withclassic car enthusiast and club magazineprinter, Steve Waldenberg, to form theRegistration Numbers Club. Membershipquickly soared and the club soon becamea voice for the cherished registrationenthusiast around the UK.

The new club went from strength tostrength, holding rallies at various venuesthroughout the country ... the cherishednumber owners voices had been heardand notice had been taken. Things

eventually settled down for the betterand the situation regarding registrationtransfers improved with Local VehicleLicencing Offices eventually offering amuch better and faster service.

All this is behind us today with anincreased public awareness of the endlessnumber plate possibilities available and agenerally excellent transfer servicemeaning that registrations can changehands in a matter of days rather thanmonths.

The RNC currently has a membershiplevel of around 500+ and continues tomonitor DVLA activities, although, inreality, few problems arise. It publishes aquarterly newsletter, 'RNC News', whichis prepared by one of the originalfounders, Steve Waldenberg, from theRNC Office in Leeds. It is the originalindependent club publication dealingexclusively with cherished registrationsand contains articles and photographscontributed by members as well as newsconcerning registrations and forthcomingevents.

Rod Lomax, from Bury in Lancashire, along time member, was appointed clubPublicity Officer in the summer of 2000and commenced activities to gain it ahigher profile.

The club celebrated its 20th Anniversaryin 1997 with a dinner at Boroughbridge

prior to a rally at Harewood House inYorkshire, and last year its 25thanniversary was marked with a rally atStanford Hall in Leicestershire attractingover 80 vehicles and a well attendeddinner the previous evening.

This summer the club will, once again,rally at the popular Stanford Hall inLeicestershire on Sunday 22nd June andwill hold a celebratory dinner theprevous evening at the Denbigh ArmsHotel in nearby Lutterworth. Full detailsof this members event and moreinformation on the RNC including anapplication form are available by visitingthe new club website at:www.registrationnumbersclub.org.uk or contact:

Steve Waldenberg, Honorary OrganisingSecretary RNC Office, P O Box MT12, LeedsLS17 7UD.Tel : 0113 226 7497 Fax: 0113 226 1110Email:[email protected]

Rod Lomax, Publicity Officer5 Bank Top, Baldingstone, Bury,Lancashire BL9 6RY.Tel: 0161 764 8180 Fax: 0161 764 3800Email:[email protected]

Plumbers’Posh PlatesThe Pimlico Plumbers credit a part of

their ongoing success to their vastcollection of personalised number

plates. With a growing collection of overthirty, it is hard to miss plates such asBOG 1, DRA 1N, B1 DET, LAV 1 andW4 TER.

This attention to detail together with theoutstanding service they offer hasculminated in a series of prestigious awardsrecognising their status as one of the best inthe industry. Three times voted London’sTop Plumbers, finalists in the H&VNational Domestic Installer of The Yearaward and H&V Marketing Initiative ofThe Year Winners, to name just a few.

The company’s recent expansion into new28,000 sq. ft. premises together with itslivery of Volkswagen vans almost doublingto 90 is proof that their philosophy of the‘customer always coming first’ is the key totheir success.

Charlie Mullins, Managing Director said,“For 25 years now, we have been fulfillingthat pledge by employing the highest calibreof staff in every position. In return for thehigh standard of service we offer, we findthat our customers not only use us againand again themselves, but recommend us totheir friends and family.”

Pimlico Plumbers has carved a niche foritself by concentrating its efforts in an areaof just 3½ square miles of Central London,but one that contains some of the mostexpensive properties and historic buildingsin the capital. This means that presentingthe right image to customers, who expect to

receive the very best service and the highestof standards, is essential.Distinctive number plates provide thefinishing touch. Charlie said, “I am delightedwith the way Registration Transfers handlethe sale and transfer of our registrations,always with superb efficiency, from theinitial search to the completion of allrelevant documentation. These plates haveadded a touch of recognition and fun to ourvans and our customers are alwayscommenting on them. We have gained somuch fantastic publicity because of theplates. There is no doubt that people notonly spot us out and about, but they neverforget us either.”


P 49The World of Personal Number Plates Regtransfers.co.ukVol 1, Issue 1 PERSONAL NUMBER PLATES

P 57

A Word from the RNC by Rod Lomax, RNC Publicity Officer

RNC Rally at Stanford Hall last year

Welcome to the RegistrationNumbers Club regular columnin the brand new RegTransfers

quarterly magazine.

For those passionately interested incherished or personalised vehicleregistration numbers perhaps a littlehistory about this independent clubmight prove useful.

Founded in 1977, the RegistrationNumbers Club is the only UK basedclub for enthusiasts of this fascinatingsubject. It is dedicated to preserving theright to hold and transfer cherishedvehicle registration numbers, a rightwhich has been held since 1903 andwhich was once withdrawn in 1977 bythe then DVLC following a strike by civilservants at its Swansea headquarters.

Former rally driver Alex Jackson ofLeeds, was so concerned about thesituation that he joined forces withclassic car enthusiast and club magazineprinter, Steve Waldenberg, to form theRegistration Numbers Club. Membershipquickly soared and the club soon becamea voice for the cherished registrationenthusiast around the UK.

The new club went from strength tostrength, holding rallies at various venuesthroughout the country ... the cherishednumber owners voices had been heardand notice had been taken. Things

eventually settled down for the betterand the situation regarding registrationtransfers improved with Local VehicleLicencing Offices eventually offering amuch better and faster service.

All this is behind us today with anincreased public awareness of the endlessnumber plate possibilities available and agenerally excellent transfer servicemeaning that registrations can changehands in a matter of days rather thanmonths.

The RNC currently has a membershiplevel of around 500+ and continues tomonitor DVLA activities, although, inreality, few problems arise. It publishes aquarterly newsletter, 'RNC News', whichis prepared by one of the originalfounders, Steve Waldenberg, from theRNC Office in Leeds. It is the originalindependent club publication dealingexclusively with cherished registrationsand contains articles and photographscontributed by members as well as newsconcerning registrations and forthcomingevents.

Rod Lomax, from Bury in Lancashire, along time member, was appointed clubPublicity Officer in the summer of 2000and commenced activities to gain it ahigher profile.

The club celebrated its 20th Anniversaryin 1997 with a dinner at Boroughbridge

prior to a rally at Harewood House inYorkshire, and last year its 25thanniversary was marked with a rally atStanford Hall in Leicestershire attractingover 80 vehicles and a well attendeddinner the previous evening.

This summer the club will, once again,rally at the popular Stanford Hall inLeicestershire on Sunday 22nd June andwill hold a celebratory dinner theprevous evening at the Denbigh ArmsHotel in nearby Lutterworth. Full detailsof this members event and moreinformation on the RNC including anapplication form are available by visitingthe new club website at:www.registrationnumbersclub.org.uk or contact:

Steve Waldenberg, Honorary OrganisingSecretary RNC Office, P O Box MT12, LeedsLS17 7UD.Tel : 0113 226 7497 Fax: 0113 226 1110Email:[email protected]

Rod Lomax, Publicity Officer5 Bank Top, Baldingstone, Bury,Lancashire BL9 6RY.Tel: 0161 764 8180 Fax: 0161 764 3800Email:[email protected]


P 8

THE LATEST NUMBER PLATE NEWS

100 Years of BritishNumber Plates

2003 AUCTION PRICESThe National Coalmining Museumin Wakefield, West Yorkshire on8th/9th February 2003.

Top 5 sellers: 1) SAJ 7D - £21,0002) BAL 81R - £17,0003) MEH 800B - £12,0004) DAV 7D - £10,6005) CDL 1N - £9,600Three very ordinary lookingregistration numbers also fetchedgood money.On the first day GPF 146G sold for£3,100 hammer price, drawing gaspsfrom the watching crowd, dealersincluded. No-one could understandwhy such an ordinary plate shouldfetch such good money. Later on thesame day HMP 729G went for £3,300hammer price much to theamusement of the large audience. As the majority of the crowd werescratching their heads in wondermenta chap stood up and enlightenedeveryone with the fact that thesenumbers are from the Mini Coopersused in the film "The Italian Job".On the second day the last number(there were 3 Minis in the film) LGW 809G sold for £3,000 hammerprice. A re-make of the film has beenproduced and is due to be releasedduring the summer.

Knebworth Barns Conference &Banqueting Centre, KnebworthHouse, Hertfordshire, 26th/27th March 2003

Top 5 Sellers: 1) 13 OSS - £22,5002) 4 OO - £21,0003) 55 T - £15,7004) 57 NGH - £14,5005) HOG 1E - £12,700 and

1111 SS - £12,700Surprisingly, there were manydateless two number, two letter platesgoing under the hammer for as muchas double the usual price, bringingthem up to the value of two digit, oneletter registrations. For instance, 28MS sold for £11,100 and 32 MH for£12,000 whilst 38 HH went for just£3,100 and 77 BJ sold for £5,400. It is unclear as to why there is asudden interest in these particularcombinations as there are alwaysother plates coming up at futureauctions with the same initials.

KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILYThe number plate DA 1 has beenhanded down through threegenerations of the Rhodes family.

One of the first to be issued in 1904 byWolverhampton local authority, DA 1 was first owned by RobertRhodes, a solicitor. It now belongs tohis grandson Richard.

A number of different cars have wornthe plate over the years, starting withan Ariel Tonneau, a Rolls Royce 2025,several Humbers and today aRover 45.

Mr. Rhodes plans to leave the plate inhis will to the city, for the Mayor's car. It is thought to be worth in the region of£60,000.

QUENTIN WILLSON SPEAKS“Cherished plates have gone up 22 percent in the past four months” says carexpert Quentin Willson, “it's the sort ofreturn you can only dream of withtraditional investments.”

News

PERSONAL NUMBER PLATES

P 8

A 1 NUMBER PLATE IS LOST

The first car number plate issued inGreat Britain, worth around £500,000,is missing. A 1 was registered byLondon County Council 100 years agofor Earl Russell's Napier car. DunlopHoldings Ltd last owned it. But theRetail Motor Industry Federation (RMI)yesterday issued an appeal to find theplate which “seemed to have fallenbetween the cracks and disappeared”.

Alistair Manson, of the RMI'sCherished Number DealersAssociation, said: “No one knowsexactly what has happened to A 1.”

A centenary rally was held at WoburnAbbey, in Beds, on May 18.

The Mirror, Thursday, April 3, 2003


P 9

CHEATS! FALSE-PLATE SCAM CONSKEN'S CAMERA CHARGESby Robin Hutchinson

Dodgy drivers are using false numberplates to avoid paying the Londoncongestion charge.

One in three admits they are willingto break the law to evade the scheme- and it's costing hundreds ofthousands in lost revenue. The carcheats are creating new ID's orstealing them from old vehicles andcars outside London.

Some have even cloned thenumbers from vintage cars inmuseums and vehicles taken to thescrapheap.

Then they swap plates or fix thenew ones over the top and drive pastthe cameras knowing they cannot betraced to pay the £5 charge.

One eye witness told the Daily StarSunday: “I couldn't believe my eyeswhen I saw a driver get out before thecameras on Blackfriars Bridge and fixfalse plates over the existing ones.

“Once he had driven over the bridgeand past the cameras, he calmlyremoved them again.”

Experts reckon the scam is costingMayor Ken Livingstone's Transport forLondon organisers thousands ofpounds a day.

And traffic police admit the problemis spiralling out of control.

A senior officer said: “The number ofcheats is growing by the day.

“Genuine owners are being billed fora day in London and the cheats aregetting away with it. But, we will catchup with them.”

The scam has caused hundreds offines of up to £80 being sent toinnocent owners.

Traffic chiefs in Swansea are soconcerned they're looking at newmeasures including:

• Electronic tags on number platesmatching them to vehicle IDnumbers

• Plates to carry the make and modelof the car

• Theft-proof plate fixtures on all newcars.

Daily Star Sunday, Sunday April 6, 2003

CAR SALES AT RECORD HIGH

New car sales hit 438,075 in March -an all-time high for the month, helpedby the new 03 number plates.

Top seller was the Ford Focus,followed by Vauxhall's Corsa andAstra, with the BMW 3 series in fourthplace.

New car registrations are expectedto reach 2.4 million this year - the thirdhighest total on record - said theSociety of Motor Manufacturers andTraders. Small cars took 34.3 per centof the market.

The Mirror, Saturday, April 5, 2003

COMMENT:SUCCESS ON A PLATE?THAT'S TOO MUCHINFORMATIONby Norman Harper

One of the hazards of writing for amotoring publication is that, every sooften, the desk has to be cleared ofsheaves of paper from companiestouting for publicity. You might expectthese to be new one-man businesseslooking for a valuable leg-up to getthemselves established, and it's truethat around a quarter of the mailcomprises that.

Only rarely is it possible to helpthem, since there isn't often any newsvalue in the product and, I'm afraid, themere fact of a new business havingbeen established isn't sufficient to stopthe presses any more. Would youbelieve, however, that one of the mostrelentless touters for a freeadvertisement is the Government?

It's a distant arm of the Government,but still it operates for and on behalf ofthe Treasury.

Barely a week passes without mycolleagues and I hearing the latest'news' from the Driver and VehicleLicensing Agency and how well it'sdoing with selling personalised

registrations. We hear how inexpensivespecial plates are and how simple theprocess has become.

We get tips on how to buy apersonalised registration as a gift. Wehear how much the scheme has raisedfor the Treasury. In short, the wholeenterprise is made to sound little shortof genius.

The DVLA isn't writing to tell me thisso frequently because it wants to keepus well informed. Its intention is that Ishare this with you, the Your Carreadership, ad nauseam to encourageeven more low-cost tax-raising for theTreasure. I'm afraid I stopped playingball long ago.

I have nothing against personalisedplates. I'm not one of those who sees itas vanity gone mad. If someone wantshis car to sport tartan-velour car mats,a Jodrell Bank tail spoiler, a noddingdog or a distinctive registration number,it doesn't harm anyone else so it's noneof my concern.

I do think the DVLA and, byextension, the Government, is guilty ofdouble standards on several levels,however.

First, I would be delighted if themillions raised from motorists' pocketswere put directly into raising thestandard of the UK roads network, yetthere is no evidence that as much as apenny of personalised-plates fees goesanywhere near the roads again.

Consequently, I'm one of a growingnumber of UK motoring writers whofinds it mildly offensive that once amonth a missive arrives from aGovernment department trumpetinghow much the car-owning public havebeen squeezed for extra cash. Thetone is one of taking you for stooges.

Second, I find it strange that whenregistration plates are meant, at least inpart, to make a car as memorable andidentifiable as possible to by-standersduring and after an incident, legislationgets huffy about the placement ofscrewheads and the spacing of lettersto form easily legible and highlymemorable words.

I appreciate the need forstandardisation and, alas, for cameralegibility, but I've always had asneaking suspicion that the real reasonis that the DVLA resents the loss ofcontrol and, more important, ofrevenue. I'm sure I must have thewrong end of the stick. No division ofGovernment would operate suchdouble standards surely.

Would it?

The Aberdeen Press and Journal, March 19, 2003


P 8

THE LATEST NUMBER PLATE NEWS

100 Years of BritishNumber Plates

2003 AUCTION PRICESThe National Coalmining Museumin Wakefield, West Yorkshire on8th/9th February 2003.

Top 5 sellers: 1) SAJ 7D - £21,0002) BAL 81R - £17,0003) MEH 800B - £12,0004) DAV 7D - £10,6005) CDL 1N - £9,600Three very ordinary lookingregistration numbers also fetchedgood money.On the first day GPF 146G sold for£3,100 hammer price, drawing gaspsfrom the watching crowd, dealersincluded. No-one could understandwhy such an ordinary plate shouldfetch such good money. Later on thesame day HMP 729G went for £3,300hammer price much to theamusement of the large audience. As the majority of the crowd werescratching their heads in wondermenta chap stood up and enlightenedeveryone with the fact that thesenumbers are from the Mini Coopersused in the film "The Italian Job".On the second day the last number(there were 3 Minis in the film) LGW 809G sold for £3,000 hammerprice. A re-make of the film has beenproduced and is due to be releasedduring the summer.

Knebworth Barns Conference &Banqueting Centre, KnebworthHouse, Hertfordshire, 26th/27th March 2003

Top 5 Sellers: 1) 13 OSS - £22,5002) 4 OO - £21,0003) 55 T - £15,7004) 57 NGH - £14,5005) HOG 1E - £12,700 and

1111 SS - £12,700Surprisingly, there were manydateless two number, two letter platesgoing under the hammer for as muchas double the usual price, bringingthem up to the value of two digit, oneletter registrations. For instance, 28MS sold for £11,100 and 32 MH for£12,000 whilst 38 HH went for just£3,100 and 77 BJ sold for £5,400. It is unclear as to why there is asudden interest in these particularcombinations as there are alwaysother plates coming up at futureauctions with the same initials.

KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILYThe number plate DA 1 has beenhanded down through threegenerations of the Rhodes family.

One of the first to be issued in 1904 byWolverhampton local authority, DA 1 was first owned by RobertRhodes, a solicitor. It now belongs tohis grandson Richard.

A number of different cars have wornthe plate over the years, starting withan Ariel Tonneau, a Rolls Royce 2025,several Humbers and today aRover 45.

Mr. Rhodes plans to leave the plate inhis will to the city, for the Mayor's car. It is thought to be worth in the region of£60,000.

QUENTIN WILLSON SPEAKS“Cherished plates have gone up 22 percent in the past four months” says carexpert Quentin Willson, “it's the sort ofreturn you can only dream of withtraditional investments.”

News

PERSONAL NUMBER PLATES

P 8

A 1 NUMBER PLATE IS LOST

The first car number plate issued inGreat Britain, worth around £500,000,is missing. A 1 was registered byLondon County Council 100 years agofor Earl Russell's Napier car. DunlopHoldings Ltd last owned it. But theRetail Motor Industry Federation (RMI)yesterday issued an appeal to find theplate which “seemed to have fallenbetween the cracks and disappeared”.

Alistair Manson, of the RMI'sCherished Number DealersAssociation, said: “No one knowsexactly what has happened to A 1.”

A centenary rally was held at WoburnAbbey, in Beds, on May 18.

The Mirror, Thursday, April 3, 2003


P 68

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