A personalised car number plate featuring the letter “H” has fetched HK$20 million (US$2.55 million) at a government auction, the fourth-most-expensive one sold in Hong Kong at 4,000 times its reserve price.

Other high bids at Sunday’s Chinese New Year auction of vehicle registration marks included the plates “30” at HK$4.55 million, “101” at HK$1.01 million and “2288” at HK$470,000.

The single-letter H plate drew the top bid among the 49 plates sold, going to a man who outbid three rivals in a fierce contest that saw more than 50 bids.

The rare single-letter plate had an opening price of just HK$5,000 but shot up to HK$5 million on the first bid before three rivals engaged in a fierce battle.

It was sold to a middle-aged man in black wearing a face mask and holding a plaque numbered “135”, who brushed off media questions on leaving.

Hong Kong allows only 23 English letters for plates, excluding “I”, “O” and “Q” under Transport Department rules.

The H plate ranks as the city’s fourth-most-expensive one, trailing the “D” plate’s HK$20.2 million sale in 2024 by just HK$200,000.