Queensland’s most valuable number plate is heading to auction

Hot off the heels of Australia’s first number plate being put up to auction, the first registration to be handed out in Queensland is also being offered to the public.

Last week, New South Wales number plate ‘NSW 1’ was listed online by auction house Lloyds, with bidding for the first registration plate affixed to a vehicle in Australia jumping from $2 million to $10 million within eight hours – and with more than 40 days remaining.

Lloyds has now listed Queensland’s ‘Q1’ number plate on its online auction platform, with the white-and-black registration plate also expected to fetch many millions of dollars.

Bidding for Q1 had already surpassed $2.9 million at the time of writing, with 38 days left before the hammer falls on the auction.

First issued to hotel magnate James McGuire in 1921, Q1 was passed down to James’s son Richard following his death in 1949 – where it stayed in the family until 1985.

At the 1985 'Great Queensland Plate Auction', hairdressing business icon Stefan Ackerie purchased Q1 for $100,000 – or almost $350,000 when adjusted for inflation – while the number plate is currently affixed to his Ferrari California convertible.

The auctions for both NSW 1 and Q1 are due to close at 11:00am AEDT on 27 January 2023.

RELATED: The backstory of the Victorian '1' heritage plate