No Mr Bond, I Expect You to Buy

Going for gold, the famous number plate AU 1 will be auctioned off next month at a car and number plate auction held at London based auction house, Bonhams.

Keen owners of famous number plates will be intrigued by this registration, which appeared in the iconic James Bond movie Goldfinger and is expected to sell for over £80,000. Specifically selected because AU is the Periodic Table's chemical symbol for gold, this prestige registration number was assigned to the Rolls-Royce Phantom III driven by the Bond nemesis, Goldfinger.

The interest is clearly "fuelled" by the connection with Goldfinger, one of the greatest James Bond productions, but is further boosted by the fact that it was the first ever vehicle registration number issued in Nottingham way back in 1903, making it a doubly-historic treasure. The first registration plate issued anywhere is always noteworthy with the local population, number plate and motoring enthusiasts.

More James Bond memorabilia will feature at the auction, in the form of the Lotus from the film The Spy Who Loved Me. Prospective purchasers should expect to part with a sum in the region of £120,000.

Until the mid-1990s, the famous number plate belonged to the Dowson family, of Radcliffe-on-Trent. Wishing to remain anonymous, it has since been with its current owner.