The word "cherished" is used very frequently with regard to UK number plates, and it has a function within the genre that differs slightly from that of the word when used in more general conversation.
What is a Cherished Number Plate?
That's great question, and it has a pretty interesting, if not always universally accepted, answer.
You may have seen the answer summarised along the lines of...
"Cherished numbers are often much older registrations, which tend to be much rarer, and this has an inevitable impact on their price. Cherished registration plates are frequently seen as antiques or collectors' items."
Few people with knowledge of UK number plates would dispute that. But by dictionary definition, the word "cherished" means "held dear", and that suggests we can apply the term to a much wider slection of private number plates.
In the world of private plates, "cherished" was traditionally applied more as a type of category than as an individual expression of the owner's love for their prized possession. In the formative years of registration plate personalisation, traders adopted the word "cherished" to distinguish the most eminent dateless plates. Back in the 1970s, dateless plates were the only alternative to the then current suffix format.
The specific association between old, dateless reg plates and the word "cherished" persisted for a long time, and indeed the association still remains today. However, as the market for personalised plates kicked into overdrive, it became clear that people cherished other formats of registration.
By the mid 1980s, suffix plates had been replaced by the then new prefix format, and so the suffix format also began to acquire kudos among personalisation enthusiasts. With that newfound kudos came a valid notion that suffix plates - especially those which conformed to the primary factors of number plate value - could sometimes be categorised alongside dateless plates in terms of market appeal
Farther still down the road, in the 2000s, after the prefix registration format was replaced by the current/new-style, prefix plates themselves gained an elevated presence in the market. Then came the argument: if a prefix plate can sometimes have equal kudos to a dateless plate, and is, by the dictionary definition of the word, cherished by its owner, whay can it not be categorised as a cherished plate?
The obvious conclusion was that it could.
Today, we have four main types of registration format, with further divisions - particularly among dateless plates. And all of them (very much including the new-style format) can be used for clever renditions of personalisation. All can be cherished, according to our immutable dictionary definition. And it's therefore fair to say that there is no format of registration plate available today which cannot be categorised as a cherished plate.
Some plate gurus will insist that, as a broad category, the word "cherished" can still only be applied to older formats of registration. Some new-style plates, they maintain, are simply too familiar and nondescript to be cherished by anyone. But opinions differ, and contrary views suggest that all new-style plates have heightened appeal when they're first introduced - because they denote the vehicle to which they're attached as brand new - and it's a good feeling to be driving down the street in a car that no one can doubt has just rolled off a retail dealer's forecourt.
There will probably never be universall agreement on how the term "cherished" should be used in relation to number plates, but it's fair to say that if your plate means something important to you, and identifies you to the people in your life, then it is, at least in linguistic terms, cherished.
Therefore, the term "cherished number plate" joins a long list of references used to describe your favourite vehicle accessory. You may be more used to the terms "private registration number" or "personalised number plate". However, the phrase "cherished number plate" - which traditions describes dateless number plates from the period before 1963 - is now a very common substitute for both of those references. Whether it describes a family heirloom, a memento, or simply a great investment, one thing is for sure... A cherished registration plate is the perfect finishing touch to any vehicle.
Here at NetPlates we strive to deliver the perfect cherished number plate that you can proudly use for the rest of your life. And we aim to fulfil that desire for the lowest possible price. We're highly competitive in every way. You won't just get a great price - you'll also get our accaimed service. So why not begin your search now? Find your perfect cherished registration number today!
