Vicroads and Heritage plates assistance required?

Hi,

has anyone here had dealings with Vicroads or understands the process, of heritage plates now being deemed 'display plates'?

Terry 

Hi Terry

I actually spotted a modern car the other day, and it was displaying 'new'  1930s era Victorian enamelled 5 digit plates. I'd never seen repro plates like these ones before. 

Looking at vicroads website, it looks like they occasionally auction off  replica 1930s vitreous enamel plates to the highest bidder. The demand is enormous and the plates are sold  for unbelievable figures.  It's a old selling tactic, make something exclusive and the price goes through the roof ! 

Not sure about 'display'  plates .  What are they ? 

Do you want to display them or use them?  Display then just put on a vehicle when stopped at a show or bung them on the wall. 
If you want to put them on a vehicle as it's registration number then you need to own the "rights" to the plates as well as the physical plates themselves.  Firstly I would check the vicroads website and check if the plate is on a registered vehicle or available as a personalised plate.  If it wasn't sold in the 2024 auction ( or an earlier one) the rights should be available.

I am assuming you have the plates from years ago and not the paperwork Vicroads want when the transfer of ownership of personalised plates.  I had to fill that out when I sold my XP ute as it was on personalised plates before moving to club plates.  The person who purchased the vehicle put it back on full registration using them as "MYXPUT"

Hi,

it is not me, someone has sent an email to us regarding a two digit plate that has been in their Family since new and they are having some difficulties with Vicroads and are wanting some assistance from someone who knows their way around Vicroads in this regard.

Terry 

Unfortunately just because they have the plate doesn't mean they have the right to use it unless it's been purchased as a personalised plate. Vicroads can reissue general plates (which the 2 digit plates were at the time). A friend's dad had a 6 digit plate on a 1970s LTD. After his father died he inherited the LTD and he had to purchase the rights to the plate to keep the plates when he sold the car.
They can put the plates number into vicroads at vplates.com.au/ and see if the number is available. If it is they can buy the rights as a personalised plate. If not they need to locate the new owner and offer to purchase the rights.
To give an example I have the original number plates of my AR162 on the wall (GYC100). As the registration had expired years before I owned the truck I can't use them without buying the rights to them from VicRoads. I just checked and GYC100 is available but as I sold the truck there's no point buying them.  The original plates from the XP Ute (NTE127)  are not available

If I'm reading it correctly.  I didn't know that car owners in Victoria could buy a all digit (numeral)  plate as a personalised plate.  I've only ever seen personalised plates as a combination of letters and numerals i.e. JEEP42

If thats the case. You could get a plate with your Jeep's  original Army reg number ! The army Jeeps  numbers were in the 5 or  a 6 digit number range i.e.123456

Given it's a plate, but old.   The important thing would be to determine if the number plate is active and owned by some one else.

Look up the Vicroads rego check and search on the plate number. 
And then, look up the personalised plate web site and see if it's still available.

If it is, you might have some sort of chance.....  if it's taken, nail it to the wall.

This is the response from Vicroads that probably best explains the situation.I refer to your request for confirmation of Registration Number Rights relating to number plate xx. Iunderstand that the physical number plates are currently assigned to a Toyota Hilux in your possession andwere acquired by your stepfather approximately 70 years ago.Registration number xx ("xx") was originally assigned to a motor vehicle as a General Issue plate, meaningthat at the time of issue there were no display rights linked to the combination that could be 'owned' by anindividual to display, sell and/or transfer. As "xx" was in use in 1984 it was not included in the 1984 numberplate auction when the Road Traffic Authority (RTA) (as precursor to VicRoads) commenced selling premiumregistration number combinations with these rights. As "xx" was not included in the original or subsequentauctions, no evidence can be located that registration number rights have been sold/purchased for "xx".While "xx" has been assigned to multiple vehicles over time, it is regarded as a general issue number plategiven there is no record of display rights ever having been purchased by any party. This means although theregistration number can remain on your vehicle and can be reassigned to another registered vehicle in yourname or transferred with vehicle registration to another person, we regret to inform you that it cannot be soldin its own right unless the registration number rights are purchased from VicRoads via an auction, or it canbe proved that registration rights have been purchased.

Games....  just play with in the rules.

For Sale.

Toyota Hiace.   $100,000   Registered and roadworthy.    Rego Plate Vic: 99

Jon,

A snap at that price for a 2 digit numberplate.