Rare ‘O 10’ Private Number Plates on Sale for the First Time Since 1902
The number plate ‘O 10’ has been put up for sale for the first time since it was first issued in 1902. The registration number has been in the same family for more than 118 years and its full history is known. Here we have a look at the fascinating background of this number plate.
Birmingham’s 10th Registration Number
When Birmingham first issued number plates in 1902, Charles Thompson just happened to be tenth in line and was issued with the number O 10.
Charles, the great grandfather of the plate’s current seller, was born in 1874 and died in 1955. He owned a successful stationery wholesale company which supplied businesses around the Birmingham area. At the time he lived in Robin Hood House, in what is now the Hall Green suburb of Birmingham, with his wife, Ellen, and his father in law, Joseph Fitter.
Charles and Ellen had a son, Charles Raymond, known as Ray, who was born in 1905, and a daughter, Gwendoline Ellen.
On the death of Joseph in 1923, his estate was worth almost £5 million in today’s money. The family decided to sell Robin Hood House and it was purchased by Mitchells & Butlers Brewery and converted into a pub. It is now the Toby Carvery Hall Green on Stratford Road.
Ray Thompson married Norah Whitmore, the daughter of a Birmingham industrialist whose company produced leather goods. Ray and Norah had a son, Joseph Barry Thompson, who was always known as Barry and who was the father of the current owner of number plate O 10.
Charles Thompson died in 1955 and left his car, complete with the O 10 number plate, to Barry. As a salesman for his uncle’s timber company, Barry drove around Birmingham and the Cotswolds in his car with his beloved number plate attached. For more than 60 years, until his death in 2017, Barry transferred the O 10 plate to his various cars, including Austin A35s, Minis, Vauxhall Cavaliers, Cortinas, Peugeots, and Jaguars.
Since Barry died, the owner of the plate has been driving Barry’s last Jaguar. The registration number has always been a conversation piece, with many people interested in its history.
O 10 is Now Up for Sale
The decision has now been made to sell the cherished O 10 number plate. It will go up for sale with Silverstone Auctions during their final sale of 2020 on November 13th and 14th. It’s expected to fetch £100,000 to £110,000.
Silverstone Auctions specialises in classic cars, modern supercars, competition cars and automobilia.
This registration sold for £128,000 on 14th November.
If you’re looking for a private number plate, but you missed out on O 10 or it was out of your price range, CarReg has a unique database of thousands of registration numbers to suit all budgets. With more than 30 years’ experience, they can help you to find the perfect private number plate. Currently in stock are O 6 - OO 11 - OO 15 - All 3 available on sale.
