PR maven Roxy Jacenko is set to net more than $200,000 from the sale of two rare New South Wales heritage number plates, which she purchased as investments 20 years ago. The plates, 1908 and 1903, are currently up for auction through Collecting Cars.
Jacenko, who has relocated to Singapore, stated that she acquired the plates for approximately $40,000 each two decades ago, specifically anticipating their value appreciation. "I wanted to start collecting heritage plates as investments given the scarcity around them and the numbers they were fetching," she told the Daily Mail Australia. The auction for the 1908 plate had already reached an $80,500 bid in the final days, with Jacenko expecting each plate to exceed $100,000.
These distinctive plates have adorned a variety of luxury vehicles over the years, including a Range Rover, Aston Martin, Porsche, McLaren, Bentley, and a Ferrari. The cars themselves ranged in value from $300,000 for a Range Rover to $650,000 for a Ferrari or Bentley.
Jacenko compared collecting heritage plates to her passion for Hermès bags, citing shared characteristics such as genuine scarcity, a dedicated buyer base, and minimal holding costs. "Unlike a handbag, a four-digit plate can't be faked, damaged or discontinued. It's the rarest thing you can own that also sits on the front of your car," she said. She further described a NSW heritage plate as "a blue-chip that happens to sit on the front of your car," emphasizing that supply is government-controlled while demand continues to rise.
This is not the first attempt by Jacenko to sell the plates; she previously listed them on Instagram in January 2024 after moving to Singapore, noting at the time that she no longer owned cars in NSW. Plate numbers are highly sought after in Australia, with lower numbers typically commanding higher prices. For instance, the NSW plate #4 sold for $2.45 million in 2017. The auctions are scheduled to conclude within the coming days.