It’s anyones guess as to how much Delaware’s No. 1 surf fishing tag will bring in at auction after the No. 2 went for $20,500 lat year.
“I would guess it could be almost as much as $50,000,” said Aaron Dunphy-Linnartz, who owns LowDigitTags.com. “No. 1. You can’t go any lower.”
Some people are willing to spend fortunes for bragging rights.
The auction for the tag is set to take place at 2:30 pm this Saturday, and will be part of a BBQ competition at Delaware Seashore State Park called Booo-B-Que by the Sea.
“Delawareans have an affinity for low-digit license plates, and the surf tags are an opportunity for surf fishermen and tag collectors to bid high and see how low they can go about getting a coveted low-numbered plate,” said State Parks Director Ray Bivens at last year’s sale.
The start of tag auctions in Delaware started in 2014 after House Bill 348. It directed the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to auction low-digit surf tags. All earnings go towards paying for surf beach access areas in state parks.
92 tags have been sold since Low Digit Surf Tag Auctions started last year, raising $317,097 with a total of 92 tags sold.
“The fact of raising over $300,000 with selling less than 100 tags solidifies the addition of surf tags into Delaware’s longstanding low-digit tag marketplace,” Dunphy-Linnartz said.
There is a minimum $250 bid for all numbered tags, thought that’s nothing compared to what the No. 1 will actually go for.
“For some people, it’s an investment,” he says. “For some, it’s a status symbol.”
