A Brief History of 'Cherished Registrations'
It was back in 1903 that the Road Traffic Act received Royal Assent. All motorised vehicles were required to be registered with a unique registration mark together with a record of the person responsible for using the
vehicle on the public highway.
Registration day was 1st January 1904, and so it all began. The owner of the vehicle bearing the registration A 1 was understandably envied by other
motorists and this spectacular registration was admired by many. It was truly cherished by the owner, Earl Russell.
Another interesting plate from the initial series of registrations was Y 1. This was acquired by Arthur Thring, who by "coincidence" happened to be the person (First Parliamentary Counsel) responsible for drafting the Registration Act. The first transfer of a registration from one vehicle to another was on 3rd
March 1904, when Dr.Robert Lauder of Southampton, transferred the registration CR 1 from a 5hp Kimberley car to an 11hp Clement.
By 1956 the registration A 1 had been transferred 37 times and a few years later was sold for £2,500. The resultant publicity about this fantastic sum
of money being exchanged for the right to display a particular registration number on a car was the likely catalyst for general interest. By 1960 Local Taxation Offices were inundated with requests for distinctive registrations. It became the first sale of registration marks by Government Departments. The cost was £5 (inclusive of transfer) no matter what registration you
wanted. Within two years the demand was so overwhelming that it was stopped altogether.
The Government reintroduced the sale of unissued registration marks in 1989 ("The Sale of Registration Marks Regulations 1989).