The money spent could have bought two very nice cars or a big SUV, but the desire to show off status seems more important than saving money.
According to the Delhi government's transport department, the number 0001 got the highest bid in March, which was the most money paid in any auction from January to June this year. The buyer's details weren't shared to protect their privacy. Number 0009 was second, selling for Rs 11 lakh in June, and number 0007 sold for Rs 10.8 lakh in January.
The bid of Rs 23.4 lakh was much more than the starting price of Rs 5 lakh for the number, showing how much people value these specific digits. The transport department says politicians, ministers, and top bureaucrats often want these numbers, making them rare and desirable.
Having number 0001 is a big status symbol that lets the owner brag and feel like number one. Number 0007 is also popular because it's associated with James Bond and cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The department got Rs 5.1 lakh for number 0002 in January.
Different numbers have different starting prices: Rs 3 lakh for numbers 0002 to 0009, Rs 2 lakh for numbers 0010 to 0099, 0786, 1000, 1111, 7777, and 9999, and Rs 1 lakh for numbers like 0100, 0111, 0300, 0333, etc. Other favored numbers cost about Rs 25,000. Number 0786 is seen as lucky in the Muslim community.
E-auctions happen every first week of the month for numbers that start at Rs 1 lakh and up, and every week for other numbers. If a number isn't in the auction but someone wants it out of order, the starting price is Rs 25,000.
An official who's been part of these auctions says people pay for these numbers because they show status, have special meanings in numerology or superstition, match birth dates, or are considered lucky. People with many cars might want matching numbers for all of them.
The online e-auctioning of special registration numbers started in 2014. Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited runs it for the transport department. Ministers, Supreme Court judges, the Chief Election Commissioner, MPs, MLAs, and senior bureaucrats can also get these numbers.
Officials say that while people have always liked fancy numbers, the demand has grown a lot since the Covid pandemic. In June 2017, a hospitality firm in Delhi set a record by paying Rs 16 lakh for the number plate 0001. Before that, the record was Rs 12.5 lakh in September 2014, also for 0001.
