As kids, many of us collected stamps, rocks and the likes. As adults, collectibles become slightly pricier and can include automobiles, homes and all that reflects one’s maturing tastes. However, it seems there are no boundaries when it comes to some of the world’s most coveted items. Recently, a wealthy Dubai-based businessman showed the world a thing or two about collectibles by purchasing the world’s most expensive license plate. Fittingly, the plate is emblazoned with the number “1” and went for a cool $14 million dollars. The plate’s proud owner, Saeed Khouri, identifies with the number as well, modestly stating he purchased it “because it’s the best number, I bought it because I want to be the best in the world.” Ironically, proceeds from the auction went to benefit a rehabilitation center for victims of traffic accidents.
Khouri is only the latest consumer of high-priced licensed plates. Before him, Talal Khouri, a stockbroker in Dubai, purchased the number 5 for $6.2 million dollars. Unlike Saeed, Talal claims no affiliation with the plate’s number but his reasons were slightly more altruistic. He hopes the license plate will resell after his death and continue to raise money for charity. The number 5 trumped the former most expensive license plate in the world, the ‘M1′ from Yorkshire Northern England that sold for $660,000.
Next time you’re inspired to start up a collection, reconsider the contents. Stamps have just become old news.
News
August 14, 2008Elegance on Wheels
