An auction was held in Hong Kong for the sale of rare license plates. And in the most expensive license plate in 2025, it has a single letter "S" - it was sold for 14.2 million Hong Kong dollars (about 2 million US dollars). Another record holder was a number with the numbers "88" - it was sold for 11.4 million Hong Kong dollars (almost 1.5 million US dollars).
The auction was held on the occasion of the Lunar New Year. A total of 49 license plates were offered for sale, including 48 traditional license plates (TVRM) and one new personalized license plate (PVRM).
The license plate "88" was particularly sought after with a starting bid of HK$2.82 million. “8“ is a lucky number due to its phonetic similarity to the word “prosperity“ in Chinese.
Although the “S“ license plate started at a modest price of HK$5,000, it turned out to be the most expensive lot of the day, selling for HK$14.2 million after just a few minutes of bidding. According to Hong Kong insurance broker Automate Wealth Management, the license plate with the letter “S“ sold for so much because of its association with the DC hero Superman, who wears the letter on his chest.
The numbers “88” and “S” are among the top ten most expensive cars ever sold in Hong Kong, but are not yet in the top five, which currently look like this:
"W" - HK$26 million.
"R" - HK$25.5 million.
"D" - HK$20.2 million.
"28" - HK$18.1 million.
"18" - HK$16.5 million.
„W“ and „D“ were sold at the 2021 Chinese New Year license plate auction, and „R“ at the same event in 2023. The "28" was purchased in 2016, and "18" in 2008.
Other interesting license plates include "8", which was purchased by Bossini founder Low Ding Bon in 1988 for HK$5 million, "1", reserved for the police commissioner, and "2", originally reserved for the city's financial secretary and later purchased by businessman Wong Min Hung for HK$9.5 million in 1993, are also among the record holders.