XN000022-1989-01-17 — Page 11

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 1989

10

CAR NUMBERS BRING IN MONEY FOR CHARITY

INCREASING NUMBERS OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG INCREASING AMOUNT OF MONEY IN QUEST OF LUCKY CAR BENEFIT OF CHARITY.

ARE OUTLAYING AN NUMBERS FOR THE

IN 1988, A TOTAL OF 14 AUCTIONS OF VEHICLE REGISTRATION MARKS WERE HELD BY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT RAISING MORE THAN $19 MILLION FOR THE LOTTERIES FUND. THIS COMPARED WITH $7.88 MILLION RAISED IN NINE AUCTIONS IN 1987 AND $4.63 MILLION RAISED IN AUCTIONS IN 1986.

NOT ONLY THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE BECOMING FOND OF LUCKY CAR NUMBERS, MORE OF THEM ARE ALSO READY TO PAY BIG MONEY FOR A GOOD NUMBER, OCCASIONALLY IN TERMS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

ON FEBRUARY 13 LAST YEAR THE AUSPICIOUS REGISTRATION NUMBER "8", WITHOUT PREFIX, FETCHED $5 MILLION, A RECORD FIGURE THAT FOUND ITS WAY INTO THE GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS.

ONLY THREE NUMBERS MADE THE NAME OF "MILLION DOLLAR" PLATES. APART FROM NUMBER

"8", THE OTHER REGISTRATION MARKS WERE "162", SOLD FOR $2 MILLION ON OCTOBER 8 LAST YEAR, AND "3" WHICH WAS AUCTIONED FOR $1.03 MILLION ON JULY 30, 1983.

↑

INTEREST IS NOW MOUNTING ON HOW MUCH THE LUCKY CAR NUMBER ALSO WITHOUT PREFIX, WILL BE ABLE TO FETCH AT A SPECIAL LUNAR YEAR AUCTION ON SATURDAY (JANUARY 21).

"7"

+

NEW

IN FACT, ALL OF THE 20 NON-TRANSFERABLE CAR NUMBERS THAT BE PUT UP FOR AUCTION FROM 10 AM IN THE CITY HALL THEATRE ON THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BRING IN GOOD MONEY IN AID OF CHARITY.

WILL

DAY

THE 20 CAR NUMBERS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

BM9

CG6789

7

CD777

378

AR3

XX89

BM525

HK3333

BC99

AC323

CC8888

AS18

133

HK9898

HK5

66

EA1

BD1

AC8338

SINCE THE FIRST AUCTION WAS HELD IN MAY 1973, THE FOLLOWING 22 NUMBERS HAD BEEN SOLD FOR $200,000 OR MORE:

REGISTRATION MARK