Auto numerology

The person accredited with coining the phrase Autonumerology was Noel Woodall when, during 1964, he needed to put a name to his new found interest in car registrations, making him the world's first autonumerologist.

His interest in the subject led him to publish a small book entitled Car Number Galaxy - Celebrities.

The book led to many newspaper articles about number plates during 1962 and also contained an index of registration letters and where the cars bearing them were first registered in the UK.

Since then he has compiled a total of 24 books on this subject.

The trend these days is for a personalised number, which could be either a name or profession for example, to further enhance you car or persona. Most number plates are bought or sold on that basis. However, the rising value of some plates over the years has led to them being one of the best investments of modern times.

OK, so the obviously valuable plates A1, for example, cost a lot of money to buy. So what if you don't want to spend a lot of money on your investment?

There have been some seemingly valueless number plates that have become very sought after, making them good investments.

G1 ATT - Pre 1995 this plate was only really valued for it's Initials value (it also contained No.1).

So if your first name was Gary/Glenda =G you were the best=1A and your middle name and surname was Terry/Tina=T Thomas=T then this was the plate for you and was reasonably priced, if somewhat obscure.

Then at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show a concept car was first shown. It was the Audi TT.

The production model was launched as a coupe in September 1998, followed by a roadster in August 1999, and your number suddenly became a lot more sought after.

G1 ATT - Post 1995. Now the plate was also valued for its connections to a car.

So if your first name was Gary/Glenda =G you were the best=1A and you owned an Audi TT=TT. As the Audi TT hit the streets the plate suddenly became very sought after pushing the number up in value, its meaning became less obscure, and its inferred connections to a successful and sporty car made it much more desirable and widened its customer base.

Registration Numbers have been likened to antiques. You can enjoy them as they rise in value and, unlike your car, they don't need maintenance and don't drop in value year on year.

To give you an example: the registration number 1 NU sold for £2,400 in 1995. By 2003 it was valued at £25,000 and this year it has been valued at £50,000. At around 200% profit, a real return on the original investment.

One of the reasons for this is the ever expanding market. The personalised number plate used to be the preserve of the rich and famous. However during 2001/2002 190,000 car owners spent £92 million on personalised plates. The increased demand has driven up the value of individual numbers. So a carefully chosen portfolio could give you a much better return than most traditional investments.

However, you are probably not here to invest alone and the truth is you will probably buy the number that best represents you. You will then hold on to that number, transferring it through several car changes until it becomes your own cherished number. If later, after much use and enjoyment, you decide you no longer want it, and make money from selling it, then it has the added bonus of paying you back for your investment.

The Art of Autonumerology What a lovely phrase. It describes the reading of number plates as words (some more obvious than others) transposing letters and numbers or even ignoring some altogether to make names, initials, or words.

Number plates that read exactly as a name, word, or profession, are very rare and extremely sought after. As such they command incredible prices and are seldom offered for re-sale once purchased.

Hence The Art of Autonumerology.

Quite often look-a-likes can provide a stunning impact and cleverly thought through, can be an extremely attractive alternative, normally at a comparatively competitive cost.