DUSHANBE, November 11, 2011, Asia-Plus — 52 vanity license plates for cars have been sold at the number plate auction in Dushanbe recently, Dilovar Odinayev, a specialist with the cost accounting department, Interior Ministry traffic police directorate, told Asia-Plus Friday afternoon.
“In all, 300 number plates were put on the auction and the opening bid for each of the number plates was set at 270.00 somoni (equivalent to some 56.00 U.S. dollars),” Odinayev noted.
It is to be noted that an official price of the number plate is now 90.00 somoni (19.00 US dollars).
According to Odinayev, “0101” was sold for 10,000 somoni or 2,100 US dollars and “1000” was sold for 8,000 somoni (US$1,680). Prices of ten other license plates fluctuated from 500.00 to 1,000 US dollars, while “0066” and “2200” were sold for 350 somoni or US$73.00 each.
Tajik authorities began selling vanity license plates in March 2010. The first auction in Tajikistan, selling “cool” license plates for cars, set the record: “0100” was sold for 40,000 somoni or $9100 ($1=4.36 somoni). “0707” was sold for 6500 somoni, while “0202” and “0808” were sold for 3600 somoni each.
In all, sixteen number plate auctions, including the last one, have been held in Tajikistan since March 2010. 311 vanity number plates for a total amount of 313,178 somoni (some US$66,000) were sold last year and 505 “cool” license plates for a total amount of 540,239 somoni (some US$113,734) have been sold this year.
Numbers are important in Tajikistan, where the right one can earn you a salute from the country”s traffic policemen.
