The bottom line from last Saturday’s Plymouth commemorative license plate auction is now official.
PLYMOUTH – The bottom line from Plymouth 400 Inc.’s commemorative license plate auction is now clear: $106,050. That’s the amount paid for just under 100 license plate numbers auctioned to benefit Plymouth 400’s preparations for the big party in 2020.
How they got there, why people paid more for some numbers, less for others, is still a mystery.
The minimum bids were $500 for most plates, $1,000 for the lower numbers and those with specific associations with historical dates associated with the arrival of the Mayflower in 1620.
The two numbers considered most desirable, 1620 and #1, each sold for $10,000.
The next top 10 plate numbers by bid were #12 with $3,500, #5 with a bid of $3,100, #19 which went for $2,800, #2 with $2,700, #11 and #2020, both of which received bids of $2,500 and #s 3, 8, 9 and 10, which each received bids of $2,000.
Clearly lower numbers were preferred over historic numbers. The plate with 1627 – a significant historic date in Pilgrim history and one that is associated with Plimoth Plantation, sold for just $550; number 13 sold for $1,300.
Of the 13 numbers that were passed because they did not receive the minimum bid, five were the historic numbers 1623, 1824, 1863, 1920 and 1957.
No one bid on Lou Gehrig’s #4 either. Other low numbers still available are 36, 41, 49, 66, 89, 93 and 94.
Does 93 or 94 sound like it might make a good gift for a 22- or 23-year-old (born in 1993 or 1994) who just graduated from college and needs a plate to go with that nice new car?
Plymouth 400 Inc. wants to remind those interested in supporting the 400 committee’s efforts that standard 2020 Commemorative License Plates are still available for general purchase through all Massachusetts RMV full-service branches or online at www.myplymouthplate.com. ; Those plates are also an important fundraiser for the organization.
The plates have a $40 purchase fee; $28 of that goes directly to Plymouth 400. Then each time the plate is renewed Plymouth 400 receives the full $40 fee.
Follow Frank Mand on Twitter @frankmandOCM.
