Lucky number 8 licence plate auction

11 February 2024

One of the state’s original licence plates is being auctioned off later this year.

Numeric plate 8 is now available for sale for the first time.

Numeric number plates were issued in South Australia between 1906 and 1966.

Number 8 is seen as a symbol of infinity and balance, and is often associated with power, strength, authority, success and abundance.

It is also considered a particularly lucky number in Chinese culture. The word for eight – “ba” – sounds like the word “fa,” meaning “to create wealth”.

Bidding is open to anyone across the country, with money from the sale used to fund road management works.

The current South Australian auction record is for a bespoke “Number 1” plate commemorating the Adelaide Grand Prix, which fetched $593,000 in 2020.

For the time being, the New South Wales “Number 1” plate sold in January this year is likely to hold the Australia-wide bidding record – a whopping $15.5 million!