Aggie 12THMAN Plate Fetches $115,000

A Texas A&M specialty auto license plate has been awarded to a prominent Houston attorney for a record winning bid of $115,000.

Kim Drummond with Austin-based My Plates said bids stalled at $42,000 at 11:45 a.m. Thursday. But a bidding war ensued that shot the price upward by the noon deadline.

The top bidder was Tony Buzbee, who has represented plaintiffs against oil giant BP and in other high-profile cases. He said the plate will be given to an Iraq war veteran he knows.

“I intend to give the 12THMAN plate to someone I think very highly of and who deserves it more than I do," said Buzbee. "I'm not saying who it is yet, but I see him as a 12th Man to our country. He did a lot more than pay a hundred-thousand dollars for a license plate."

My Plates, the state customized license plate contractor, auctioned off 10-year rights to the plate.

The previous record for a specialty plate was a bid of $25,000 in January for "HOUSTON."

The money raised from the plate will go into the General Revenue Fund of Texas.