How much would you pay for a number plate? 350 francs? 179.000 francs, as one man in St. Gallen did? For one resident of Canton Schwyz, the answer was more than they bargained for after a typo meant they bid over 35.000 francs for a new number plate.

People pay above and beyond for number plates in Switzerland

As unused number plates are subject to online auctions in Switzerland, it is quite common for drivers to pay above the odds for a low or interesting number when they come up for sale. For example, a man in Zurich once paid 194.000 francs for ZH 888, enough money to buy three BMW 520is. According to the Limmataller Zeitung, people in Canton Zurich alone pay around 5 million Swiss francs a year for interesting number plates.

In a case last week, according to Blick, one auction attendee accidentally went above and beyond to secure the numberplate SZ 6734. According to local authorities, bidding for the four-digit but not necessarily that special number plate started at 350 francs at an online auction on October 18. 

However, it was not long before the price started to increase dramatically. Other users were astounded to see that a person with the username “Sandstone” had quickly upped the bidding to 3.500 francs, then to 3.530. Finally, despite having no rival bids anywhere near his offer, the user triple-downed, bidding an astonishing 35.500 Swiss francs and winning the auction by miles.

User blames typo for 35.000-Swiss franc bid for numberplate

However, it soon became clear that there may have been some mistake. Instead of bidding the high price to secure the numberplate, when speaking to Blick, Sandstone said they accidentally put another zero on their bid, adding an extra 31.970 francs to their bill and earning the title of the 16th higher bidder ever recorded in Canton Schwyz in the process.

Luckily, cantonal authorities in Schwyz saw the funny side and are not pursuing Sandstone for the money. Spokesperson Peter Wespi told Blick that “it would be absolutely pointless to outbid the previous offer with such a large amount”, which is how they knew the bid was a mistake.

As a result, authorities in Schwyz voided the result of the auction. If you live in Schwyz and want to register your vehicle with the infamous number, SZ 6734 will be coming up for auction on the official auction website in the coming days.