License plate auction raises B11.62m
PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Transport Office (PPTO) and Pun-Neung Co Ltd’s third car license plate number auction at Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel March 17 and 18 raised 11.62 million baht, which will be donated to the Road Safety Fund to help victims of road accidents and to support traffic safety education in schools.
The previous such auction in 2005 raised 13.76 million baht.
About 100 people joined in the auction for 301 “lucky” license plate numbers. The plates all featured the Thai letters the letters ¡ (gor-gai), which, according to the auctioneer, have good connotations with Gor standing for gao-nah (progress) and and µ (tor-tao) standing for turb-to (grow up).
The license plates feature a background of Promthep Cape.
Tassanee Noppharat of the PPTO said, “The license plate number that went for the highest bid was ¡µ 1 which was bought for 712,000 baht by Tossaporn Thepabutr, husband of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization President Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr.
“Normally the most popular license plate number is 9999, but this year it made only 400,000 baht.”
Kittichai Leelaanantawong, who bought license plates ¡µ 9999 and ¡µ 8888, said, “I bought these numbers to use with my own cars because I collect license plates that have the same four numbers repeated. I do not believe much in numbers bringing good luck though, I bought the plates because I like them.”
