In Hong Kong, buying license plate numbers has been a common practice privately for several years. The reason for this is that some people believe that their car license plates will bring them luck and prosperity.Rich car owned compete with one another for low license plate number while others look for numbers they believe may help determine their fate. In 1973 the government reserved more than 400 special license plate numbers for auction. These numbers belong to the government and people cannot transfer their numbers, not even from father to son. An owner is allowed to transfer the number to another car under his name but when the owner dies the number must Nevertheless, the rich can still buy be returned to the government. numbers through advertisements in 32 Chinese newspapers. The highest price ever paid for a license plate was $45.000 for No. 1000. and the second highest price was $33,000 for No. 8889