It’s been three years since road tax discs were consigned to the history books but collectors are paying hundreds of pounds to get their hands on some examples online.
Since the online-only system replaced the paper disc format in 2014, motorists have been busy flogging their old tax certificates on Ebay. Some examples are fetching up to £1,000.
Tax discs first appeared in 1921 and remained remarkably similar until the paper certificate was dropped in 2015. While the first examples were black and white, all versions of the tax disc over its 94-year history displayed the car’s make, model and registration number.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Here’s how to tell if you have a collectable tax disc:
What makes a tax disc valuable?
A total of 1.7 billion tax discs have been issued since 1921, but only examples produced in limited numbers, or launched during a certain time period, have gone up in value.
Among the most collectable tax discs are those purchased in 1921, the Daily Express says, as this was the first year the paper system came into effect.
Another significant period for the tax disc was 2003, the newspaper says. This was the first year the paper certificate came with a bar code.
Early versions of triangular tax certificates, which were used for vehicles fitted with trade number plates, could also be worth a small fortune. One example from 1931 is currently listed on Ebay for £1,000.
Tax discs sold in bulk can also sell for three figure sums, The Sun reports, as can examples that are still mounted in a selvedge border from which they are usually removed prior to display.
Certificates for public transport vehicles, such as buses and taxis, are also popular among collectors, the paper says. This is because they are “typically rarer” than those for privately-owned cars.
How much are they worth?
The most expensive single tax disc currently on offer is the £1,000 triangular certificate used for trade vehicles. The next, an example issued on 31 October 2014 – the final month that displaying the disc was mandatory – is significantly cheaper at £250.
Discs sold in bulk have a higher price tag. A set of certificates, dated from 2004 to 2015, registered to the same car currently has a “buy it now” figure of £799. A similar batch, ranging from 2006 to 2015, is also available for £400.
These discs still have some way to go to set the record for the sale of a tax certificate. According to The Daily Telegraph, one example dated from September 1921 sold for £1,087.80 in 2014.