City's first car number plate set to fetch £250k at sale

Published on Saturday 6 September 2008 10:35

THE first car number plate to be issued in Edinburgh could go under the hammer for a quarter of a million pounds, auctioneers said today.

The sought-after registration mark "S1" has been estimated to fetch between 200,000 and 250,000 when it comes up for auction later this month.

The historic plate belonged to a leading pioneer of motoring.

This month's sale marks the first time the registration number has come on the market since it was created in 1903.

Auctioneer Bonhams expects "significant interest" in the sale and say the sky could be the limit when it comes to the final selling price.

The registration number originally belonged to Sir John HA MacDonald, who was the Lord Justice Clerk of Scotland from 1888 to 1919.

Sir John, who foresaw the rapid development of the motor car and the need for a proper road system, was one of the first owners of a car north of the border.

He was also a founding member of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland, which later became the RAC, and he was the first president of the Scottish Automobile Club.

The registration mark will be auctioned at Bonhams' Goodwood Revival Sale on September 19 in Chichester, West Sussex.