zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
"CASH" Vanity Plate Is Up for Grabs in California for $2 Million
"CASH" Vanity Plate Is Up for Grabs in California for $2 Million-October 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:58

The rear view of a red Ford Mustang with the California license plate reading CASH

For Silicone Valley lawyer Claude Arthur Stuart Hamrick, CASH isn’t just his initials; it’s a lifestyle. One he has proudly displayed on his cars via a vanity license plate since 1970. The CASH life can now be yours, provided you’ve got the dough.

The former patent lawyer from Silicone Valley is selling a that reads “CASH” for $2 million after fifty years of ownership. The retired lawyer from the Bay Area, Claude Arthur Stuart Hamrick, first registered the bearing his initials in California in 1970, and he’s dodged offers from dealers for over five decades, as the reports.

Originally on Hamrick’s , he wisely held on to it for each new vehicle. The CASH license plate was later worn by a succession of Cadillacs, according to the . Every time he switched vehicles, San Jose dealers would hound Hamrick for the flashy plate.

But he swore he’d never sell the plate, not even for “a million dollars.” But two million? Well, that’s more the “CASH” driver’s speed. The plate is currently listed on the Golden State’s budding custom plate market for that price. Claude “Cash” Hamrick enlisted the help of Micheal Modecki to sell the plate, as Modecki runs a personalized plate exchange called “” that deals in rare and unique CA plates.

Image for article titled "CASH" Vanity Plate Is Up for Grabs in California for $2 Million

Modecki compares the sale of lucrative plates to that of domain names during the dot com bubble. Hamrick may have just been after a plate with his initials, but he couldn’t have known that it would have eventually yielded an absurd amount of, well, cash. If it ever sells, at least, which it hasn’t so far.

Modecki argues that the market for these plates is at its tipping point in California, and that wealthy drivers there will soon come around to the notion that personalized plates that spell out “GO VIRAL,” “BETTING,” and “TOOTH” will be worth thousands, if not more. Why tooth? And what, no “?” That’s a missed opportunity if I ever saw one.

The Golden State is technically behind the sale of specialty plates, as the Mercury explains. Meaning that the $2 million sale is fully above-board:

The lack of interest so far has not discouraged him. It will take time, he said, for the wealthy to realize they can throw vast sums of money at license plates alongside their Ferraris and yachts. “It’s like buying domain names back in 1996. … Do you think the guy that bought fb.com knew that Facebook would have been a thing in 15 years?”

A license plate market — which allows owners to sell the rights to cherished plates or horde plates in a speculative gamble — takes advantage of the California DMV’s fine print. The DMV’s form allows vanity plate owners to “release interest to new owner” of their plate configuration. That clause opens the door for trading these plates on a second-hand market, said Modecki.

Modecki goes on to an auctioneer from the who says such plates are linked with a person’s identity, which is why they are so expensive. I’m not sure I agree; I like to think I’m not as high-maintenance as the random string of characters on my old license plate implies, but it’s possible the Texas DMV knows me better than I know myself.

Modecki might have a good bead on that, since his custom plate store sells plates from both California and Texas. The multi-million asking price for the “CASH” plate might even be a bargain for billionaires and moguls with nothing better to buy than six-figure : Modecki is also selling a CA plate that reads “” for a whopping $24 million.

I suppose if you like hard-shelled chocolates that much, have at it. The Mercury News says Modecki hasn’t received any major offers for the MM. And Claude Hamrick’s “CASH” plate is, likewise, still currently for sale.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Oct 30, 2024
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Oct 30, 2024
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Oct 30, 2024
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Oct 30, 2024
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Oct 30, 2024
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Oct 30, 2024
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved