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Someone Paid $9.5 Million for the “AA8” License Plate, but It Was for Charity

Don’t roll your eyes or jump to conclusions when you hear that someone paid $9.5 million for a license plate and a car wasn’t even included in the deal. It was for charity.
The AA8 license plate number sold at auction for $9.5 million 9 photos
Photo: WAM
Businessman Balwinder Sahni shows off his $9 million license plate, D5Businessman Balwinder Sahni shows off his $9 million license plate, D5Businessman Balwinder Sahni shows off his $9 million license plate, D5Businessman Balwinder Sahni shows off his $9 million license plate, D5Businessman Balwinder Sahni shows off his $9 million license plate, D5Businessman Balwinder Sahni shows off his $9 million license plate, D5Businessman Balwinder Sahni shows off his $9 million license plate, D5Businessman Balwinder Sahni shows off his $9 million license plate, D5
In what is being billed as another milestone moment for the One Billion Meals initiative, the Most Noble Numbers auction held last week in Dubai brought in a lot of cash. A big chunk of that came from the auction of the three-digit license plate “AA8,” which fetched a whopping $9.5 million.

The Most Noble Numbers auctions are the stuff of automotive-related legend. It is here where Dubai and UAE’s gazillionaires can come to score one-, two- or three-digit license plates for their collectibles, all under the guise of charity. All profits from the auction go directly to the One Billion Meals initiative, whose goal is to feed those in need through various international food banks. Meanwhile, the egos of multi-millionaires receive a much-needed boost.

Dubai has a long tradition of expensive license plates. Several more went into circulation at last week’s event, Alarabya News reports: “AA8” for $9.5 million, “F55” for $1.08 million, “V66” for $1.08 million, and “Y66” for $1.03 million. At the same auction, “noble” mobile numbers were sold as well, with the total profits of $14.4 million.

In January this year, Balwinder Sahni, the Chairman and CEO of RSG International, made headlines for claims that he owned the world’s most expensive single-digit license plate in the world: “5,” which he bought in 2016 for $9 million. His story was included on a new BBC show about the lifestyles of the rich (and not-exactly famous) and detailed his suffering at being turned away from a local fancy hotel for not having a “nice enough” plate, even though his car was pretty nice. The car was an $800,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom. Nice, he called it.

Ironically, in 2016, he said he’d bought the license plate for charity. He had acquired it at the same Most Noble Numbers auction. Paying this kind of cash for a license plate allowed him to do good deeds and indulge in his hobby of collecting unique license plates, he explained, as a means to silence his critics.

The identity of the new owner of the “AA8” plate has not been revealed yet.
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Editor's note: Photos in the gallery show Balwinder Sahni and his $9 million "5" license plate.

About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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