Your old car tax disc could be worth up to £355 on eBay
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OLD paper car tax discs are now a thing of the past - but if yours is still glued on your windscreen it could be an unexpected money spinner.
Cars discs were abolished in October 2014 as the DVLA moved all of its systems online.
This means that these discs are now collectibles, with the rarest ones selling for up to £355 on eBay around a year ago.
Recently, it's more common that car discs are selling for around £70, although one car disc that expired in 1921 sold for £171 on eBay only a few weeks ago.
The car discs are bought and traded by enthusiastic collectors, also known as "velologists".
The highest recorded sum ever paid for by a collectioner for a tax disc is £1,087.80 for a disc expiring in December 1921, the first year that they were issued.
The previous record for a disc the same age was £810, according to MoneyMagpie.
How to know if your old disc is valuable
IF you think you’ve got an old paper car disc that’s worth a bit extra, then you should start by doing your research.
- Find out how much your tax disc is worth to a collector by checking the same or similar licenses under “sold listings” on resell sites such as eBay.
- Compare your version to other higher selling auctions and ask yourself if it’s in a similar condition? Is it vintage? Does it have the same expiration date? Is it still in its original packaging?
- If it’s in mint condition then it might be worth selling it through an auction house or directly to a collectables website. If it’s not, it’s probably worth sticking it on eBay for a moderate sum.
- Here are some of the other places to sell your disc: Collecticus.co.uk, Velology.co.uk, BritishTaxDisks.co.uk.
Either way, a small piece of paper can really give you a nice bit of cash. So, what makes some discs more sought after than others?
If you have one that is unperforated, it appears to be more attractive to buyers. That's because the DVLA ran out of so-called perforated paper as the tax discs came to the end, so they are harder to find.
Discs issued in Northern Ireland and Wales are also less commonly found, so they are worth keeping an eye out for.
Below are some examples of the most valuable car discs sold on eBay in the past year.
Tax disc - December 1923 - £355
This disc, mounted in a so-called selvedge border (where the fabric edge remains intact) sold for almost £400 on eBay last year - even though the seller said its condition is "relevant to its age" and admitted it had some rust markings.
The rare disc was stamped in Devon in 1923 - only two years after tax discs were first issued.
This makes it a vintage item as it's more than 20 years old, which adds value in the eyes of a collector.
Discs still mounted in a selvedge border from which they are usually removed prior to display on a motor vehicle are being especially sought-after.
That's because in later years, they had perforations around their edges, making it simple to neatly remove them from the selvedge.
Tax disc - September 1989 - £271
This disc for a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) expiring in September 1989 went for a cool £271 on the online auction website around a year ago.
It was described as in "a very tidy condition, with no rips or tears", which must have added to its value.
As general thumb, discs for HGV vehicles or those used in in public service such as buses and taxis, are typically rarer than those for privately-owned cars.
So if you've got one lurking in the attic, now might be the time to dig it out.
Tax disc - November 2003 - £171
A seller from Norwich managed to flog his old paper disc for more than £170 in May.
It had a November 2003 expiration date and was said to be in a "very good condition".
Tax discs acquired a bar code for the first time in 2003, so they are more valuable for collectors.
Another car disc sold for the same £171 price tag on eBay a few weeks ago, but it expired in 1921.
It came with a folded, yet complete selvedge border, according to the seller.
Set of ten tax disc - December 2014 to September 2015 - £123
A set of ten discs fetched £123 on eBay in May last year.
These were among the final discs issued in the UK from December 2014 to September 2015, before they were abolished - so they're worth keeping an eye out for.
At the time, the seller said that each item was wrapped in water resistant packaging with stiff cardboard to ensure they arrived in mint condition.
This was sold as a complete set, so it might be worth building up a set of discs before putting them for sale on the online auction website to make some extra cash.
Welsh tax disc - March 1971 - £106
Discs in Wales are also less commonly found, which is probably why this one fetched more than £100 in April.
The seller described the tax disc, which expired in 1971, as "in very good condition".
Collectors put a big emphasis on the condition of the items they buy, so make sure yours is in a pristine condition before you put it up for sale.
How to avoid the dangers of selling your items on eBay
SELLING things on eBay can be a big money earner - when you're doing it right. Here are the dangers you need to avoid if you want to make a profit:
- You need to set a minimum price on your auction. It needs to be higher or at least value to what you're selling, otherwise it could be bought for less than it's worth. This is exactly what happened when someone sold a new £10 note for less than a tenner.
- Even if your item sells, there's no guarantee the buyer will cough up. When you set up the auction you can opt for the highest bidder to pay straight away.
- Don't forget that eBay will charge you a sellers fee if you sell your item. If you're selling up to 50 items a month - and you're not a business - you'll be charged 10 per cent of the sale. Take this into consideration when you're listing your item.
Most read in money
From getting paid to fill in online surveys to transcribing meetings for a fee, to selling your unwanted giftcards, there are plenty of ways make money.
Earlier this year, we reported how you can make hundreds of pounds a year by selling your rubbish - even leftover toilet roll tubes.
We also spoke to a dad of six who made nearly £4,000 nearly flogging old CD and DvDs and games to pay off his bills.
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