A compact week at Trading Garage, but the top lot told the same story the Ledger keeps returning to: when it comes to signature plates, two clean letters are a different asset class entirely. Four Victorian plates sold for a combined $55,148 all-in, led by 'KA' at $33,184.
As always, every figure below is the all-in price: hammer plus the auction house's buyer's premium. That's what the winning bidder actually paid, and it's the only number that matters when you're tracking plates as assets.
The headline: 'KA' at $33,184
A two-letter Victorian signature plate, 'KA', hammered at $30,500. With Trading Garage's 8.8% buyer's premium, the all-in lands at $33,184 — more than the other three lots combined.
This is a pattern the Ledger has now documented across multiple weeks. Earlier this month 'GJ' cleared $36,550 all-in on Plater, while entry-tier letter-number signatures traded in a tight $2,600–$4,000 band. 'KA' lands right in that same premium two-letter bracket. The takeaway holds: "signature plate" is not one market. A clean two-letter combination trades closer to short heritage plates than to its letter-number siblings, and if you own one, the entry-band pricing is not your reference point.
The full board
| Plate | Format | Hammer | All-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| KA | VIC Signature | $30,500 | $33,184 |
| 166·961 | VIC Heritage | $15,500 | $16,864 |
| 690·911 | VIC Numeric | $2,000 | $3,000 |
| 8·EN | VIC Signature | $1,100 | $2,100 |
'166·961' at $16,864 all-in is a solid heritage result — a six-digit combination with a mirrored structure that reads cleanly and holds its symmetry front to back. Patterned six-digit heritage has been trading consistently in this range, and this lot sits comfortably within it.
'690·911' at $3,000 all-in is an accessible numeric entry point. The '911' ending will always draw a certain kind of buyer, and combinations like this remain one of the more affordable ways into the numeric heritage market.
'8·EN' rounds out the week at $2,100 all-in — an entry-tier signature that landed exactly where the accessible end of that market sits.
Week snapshot
- Lots sold: 4 (all Trading Garage)
- Total hammer: $49,100
- Total all-in: $55,148
- Top lot: 'KA' — $33,184 all-in
- Story of the week: two-letter signatures confirming their premium tier again
How we calculate all-in pricing
The Plate Ledger always reports the full purchase cost, not the headline hammer.
Trading Garage: buyer's premium of 8.8%, capped at $16,000, with a minimum premium of $1,000 applying to every lot. This week 'KA' and '166·961' paid the standard 8.8%; '690·911' and '8·EN' both hit the $1,000 minimum, since 8.8% of their hammer fell below the floor.
Protecting the asset
When a two-letter plate trades north of $33,000, the hardware presenting it should match what it's worth. Whether your combination sits in the entry band or trades like 'KA', a plate you've invested in deserves mounting that treats it as the asset it is.
Browse our Victorian signature frames and conversion kits and Victorian heritage mounts — precision-cut in Melbourne, sized to each format and fitted using your car's existing factory mounting points. New to the formats? Start with our complete guide to Victorian plate sizes.
The Plate Ledger is FLX's weekly record of Australian number plate auction results. All prices include buyer's premium. Results compiled from publicly listed auction outcomes; figures may be rounded by the auction houses.
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