Century-old car tax discs for sale – could you be sitting on a fortune?

‘Very rare’ 100-year-old tax discs are currently for sale on an online shopping website in the UK – worth hundreds of pounds.

Car tax discs were first introduced into the UK motoring market exactly 100 years ago in 1921, and can fetch a handsome amount of money for sellers according to LeaseCar.uk.

Motorists would display them on the inside front of their windscreen to prove vehicle tax had been paid. They became legal on January 1, 1921.

The Government phased out the discs in 2014 in favour of moving towards a more digital mode of registration and tracking of vehicle tax.

A spokesman for LeaseCar.uk said: “Many people find it fascinating to explore buying and selling websites to look at the variety of used car tax discs that are available today.

“These small round pieces of paper are an important part of our motoring heritage and it is particularly poignant that on the 100^th anniversary of their introduction on our roads that car tax discs from as early as the 1920s are actively available to buy.”

The oldest car tax disc for sale on the selling site is described as ‘very rare’ from 1921 with an expiration date of December 1923. It has a price of £300 for it. The seller also has discs for sale from 1925 and 1927.

Another tax disc for sale from 1921 is described as from the ‘first year of issue’ and also ‘very rare’ with an expiration date of December 31, 1921. It is said to be in generally good condition for the year and while there is minor damage, the disc is still readable. The seller seeks around £250.

People who collect old car tax discs are known as velologists and there is even a website dedicated to this pursuit – www.velology.co.uk, which estimates some of the rarest certificates can fetch more than £1,000.

Car tax discs which still have their borders or margins are said to be the most valuable along with those which remain in good condition despite their age. Some sellers also sell sets of car tax discs spanning specific years of time, say a collection from the 1940s or 1960s.