ACT number plates with just two digits on them have been sold for a record $203,628.
The number 35 plates had been in the same family for 99 years, and have been passed on for generations.
The plates were first owned by Bernard Vant, who had moved to Canberra from Sydney around 1927, before it was passed down to his son Clifford, then to Clifford’s wife, and eventually to his grandson Warren Vant.
“My grandfather ended up with the number 35 licence in the ACT, and he then got himself the 35 number plate to match,” Warren said.
“I have had the occasional problem in car parks where they don’t recognise the plate, but that is pretty rare.”
The number plates have appeared on several family vehicles, including Warren’s Nissan X-Trail, and have also changed looks over the years from the early black-and-white FCT (Federal Capital Territory) design to the current blue-and-white ACT registration.
Warren said they made the tough decision to sell the plates after almost a century, following his mum’s death.
“It would be nice to hang on to, but with my mum passing we are just finalising the estate,” he said.
ALLBIDS general manager Ben Hastings, who hosted the Canberra-based auction, said the sale price of the rare item was an “unbelievable result”.
“All two-digit number plate sales for us are incredibly significant,” he said.
“When we have sold a lot of these lower-digit plates that have got rich Canberra history, like this plate does, we find that they go to people that really have been chasing that Canberra history.”
The sale of the number 35 plates broke the record from the previous ACT number plate 54, which sold for $181,000 in November 2025.
“The lower the number, the more significant and collectable it becomes,” Hastings said.
“We haven’t sold a single-digit yet and we would absolutely love the opportunity because we know we would set a record there too.”
The last time single-digit plates were sold in the ACT was in 2022, where the X licence plate sold for $147,200.
Image: ABC/ Warren Vant
