Can anyone tell me the history of registration mark ECC1

[S1_RS]

I'm interested in the history of the registration mark ECC1. A letter in our local paper has condemned Essex County Council for spending a vast sum of money on it but I suspect they have held it for many years and would have purchased it for next to nothing when vanity plates didn't command the high prices they do now. I am well aware that E.C.C. previously owned F1 & 1F, both of which were sold recently for huge sums. I used to walk past both cars on a daily basis. Does anyone know when ECC1 was last sold and for how much?

[Fun Bus]

Ask the question in the 'real good number plates' thread and I'm sure someone will be able to answer.

[Miss D Meanour]

According to www.numberplates.com ECC 1 was issued by Caernarvonshire County Council in 1956. I don't know whether that result is based purely on the CC identifier or whether that particular number was made available exclusively for Essex County Council, as sometime happened.

1 ECC was auctioned off by the DVLA a few years ago.

[MrReg]

I doubt they ever bought it - registrations were issued to councils free of charge.

[S1_RS]

MrReg said:

I doubt they ever bought it - registrations were issued to councils free of charge.

That's exactly what I suspect is the case but would like to find some evidence of it.

[MrReg]

S1_RS said:

That's exactly what I suspect is the case but would like to find some evidence of it.

I'm not aware of a council that has ever bought a plate.....although I do wish some would sell them

[M3DGE]

I can only confirm Miss Demeanour's info regarding when ECC # were issued; it is certainly possible that they paased ECC 1 onto Essex as a gesture to a nice fellow council. The only way to tell for sure would be to track down Caernarvonshire's archives. Some councils retained their original binders showing the allocation of marks; unfortunately, many simply binned them when the system was centralised at DVLA, but it might be worth trying contacting this organisation:-
http://www.archiveswales.org.uk

A quick search brought up a full history in Cardiganshire, you might needd to keep trying different search terms.

[M3DGE]

YESS - they have it!! See here:-

http://www.archiveswales.org.uk/anw/get_collection...

the archives contain (amongst a lot else) 'registers of new registration numbers, 1952-1977'

Can you post what you find on the Real Good forum?

Cheers