Weekly Auction Recap — VIC Doubles Hold Firm, NSW 4-Digit Numerics Clear Six Figures

The story this week sits at both ends of the market. At the entry tier, Victorian repeating-digit combinations kept clearing at steady, predictable numbers — proof the volume end of the market is liquid and rational. At the top, two NSW low-digit numerics changed hands on Collecting Cars for prices that reset the reference point for what serious four-digit combinations are worth in 2026.

Every figure below is all-in — hammer plus buyer's premium — so you're reading what the buyer actually paid, not the headline hammer.

Victoria — the repeating-digit tier stays liquid

444.485 — $2,250 all-in (hammer $1,250 + $1,000 BP, Trading Garage) A clean triple-4 lead combination. The hammer landed at $1,250 and the buyer's premium hit Trading Garage's flat $1,000 minimum, taking the all-in to $2,250. Triple-lead-digit combos in this format continue to find buyers without much friction.

384.444 — $1,700 all-in (hammer $700 + $1,000 BP, Trading Garage) The trailing triple-4 pulled a $700 hammer. Same story on the premium — the minimum applied, so the BP ($1,000) outweighed the hammer itself. Worth flagging for anyone bidding at this level: on Trading Garage, below roughly $11,400 hammer you are paying the flat $1,000 minimum regardless, so the real cost of a $700 plate and a $1,000 plate is closer than the hammer suggests.

991.413 — $1,000 all-in (hammer $600 + $400 BP, Plater) A five-character numeric that moved on Plater. At a $600 hammer the 7.5% premium falls under Plater's $400 floor, so BP applied at $400 for a $1,000 all-in. Non-patterned five-character combos sit at the affordable base of the market — this is the price of entry for a personalised numeric with no premium pattern.

New South Wales — four-digit numerics reset the top

Two low-digit NSW plates sold through Collecting Cars, and both cleared comfortably into six figures.

NSW 1903 — $158,175 all-in (hammer $142,500 + $15,675 BP, Collecting Cars) Four digits, sub-2000, on the national stage. Collecting Cars' 11% premium added $15,675 for a $158,175 all-in.

NSW 1908 — $184,815 all-in (hammer $166,500 + $18,315 BP, Collecting Cars) The higher-priced of the pair — the same four-digit sub-2000 profile clearing $166,500 at hammer, $184,815 all-in after the 11% premium. The $24,000 hammer spread between 1903 and 1908 shows buyers are still paying up for the specific number, not just the digit count.

What it means

The gap on display this week is the whole market in one snapshot. Victorian repeating-digit combinations are the liquid, accessible tier — plates that trade in the low thousands, clear quickly, and where the buyer's premium floor is often the larger line item. NSW low-digit numerics are the blue-chip tier, and the 1903/1908 results confirm that genuine four-digit combinations under 2000 are holding — and setting — six-figure benchmarks.

If you're buying at the entry end, factor the premium floors into every bid: on the smaller lots this week, the BP was the majority of the cost. If you're watching the top, the NSW numeric bracket just gave you two fresh comparables.

The Plate Ledger publishes weekly auction recaps drawn from Trading Garage, Plater, Collecting Cars and other public results. All prices shown are all-in (hammer plus buyer's premium). This is market commentary, not valuation or financial advice.