Man selling satanic digits
A Kiwi with an obsession for the Devil’s number is selling his satanic number plate. The price? $66,666 obviously. But it doesn’t stop there.
Wellington’s David Blackmore has been amassing things sporting the numbers ‘‘666’’ for 30 years, is now the whole collection.
A phone number, website name and a PO Box number, all featuring the number of the beast, are also . And no, it isn’t because he has found God.
‘‘I’ve even looked under the cupboard the stairs, he wasn’t under there either,’’ Blackmore quipped.
The multimillionaire property developer is leaving New Zealand for good, in favour of Australia’s sunny Gold Coast.
‘‘I’m going to spend the rest of my life sitting back and enjoying it rather than participating in the ratrace any longer – I’ll leave that to the rats.’’
When asked if he would start up the 666 collection in Australia also he said: ‘‘Probably.’’
But Blackmore’s passion for the devil’s number isn’t biblical, nor does he worship the Devil.
‘‘I just like numbers – it’s all about having fun. Numbers are just numbers, in China, triple six is actually a very lucky number, second only to 888 of course.’’
He said it all started when he couldn’t get his favourite race number in a car race he was entering.
‘‘Believe it or not, my favourite number is 13. I was borne on the 13th, and turned 13 years old on Friday the 13th. They said 13 was taken ‘but that’s an unlucky number, the next unlucky number we have is 666’, so I took it – and that’s how Team Satan racing came to be.’’
And from there, collecting assets bearing the satanic brand became something of a sport. He got the number plate 66666 in 1988, when personalised plates first came out, and is now asking $66,000 for it.
That year he brought 1000 personalised number plates for under $300 each – and has been selling them off ever since. The highest price fetched for a plate was $75,000 for ‘‘WW’’.
He got the phone number 021 666 666 about 20 years ago, off a woman who wanted $10,000 for it: ‘‘So naturally I paid $6666for it.’’
He got the website domain name about 10 years ago, for less than $100 per year for the registration. A friend gave him the 666 Auckland postal box address, to complement his collection, about 10 years ago.