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Leslie Spoltore, a partner in our Wilmington, Delaware office, recently wrote a post on our Delaware Family Law Blog about a uniquely unusual to Delaware "asset:" license plates.
Unlike every other state in the Union, there seems to be an dedicated, obsessed, and well heeled local market for low number Delaware license plates. According to the article written by Adam Duvernay of The News Journal, a couple recently paid $325,000.00 for license plate number 14. In Delaware, you can reuse the license numbers and even transfer them to other people (either through sale, will, or auction). Consequently, enthusiasts will bid to own low plate numbers. For perspective, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Secretary of State have license plate numbers 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Number 6 sold in 2008 for $675,000.00.
The larger point behind this unique bit of Americana is that the value of a marital estate may take many forms. We've written about the million dollar shoe collection, but there could be any number of unusual collectibles or pieces of personal property that are more than the norm and, in fact, justify their own consideration, appraisal, and identification as marital assets. I have had a case where our claim for antique carnival games was countered (unsuccessfully) by a claim for value in a Longaberger basket collection (apparently the secondary market had dropped out at the time of the case).
You simply never know where the value may appear and it is important for clients and lawyers to fully explore every potential source of value.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
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