Collecting License Plates

[grdprx]

I've been collecting license plates since I was a young kid, used to wander through the Seward, AK dump finding them.  I like getting plates when I visit a new state.  Have good memories going through junk yards in MT and NE years ago, once was asked what we farmed in Seattle by a young boy showing me around the yard in Nebraska.  I was caught off guard and said cats and dogs!
It's becoming difficult these days though.  I'll usually stop by a junk yard and get some, but I struck out last week in OH/KY/WV.  Visited 5 different yards and was told it's illegal to give them away.  My wife even tried to sweet talk the guys at one yard!  I've run into this in California too, but figured it was the "way" that state is...  Found some at a swap meet there and got a couple.

Any other ideas on where to find plates?  I was traveling during the week on this most decent trip and wasn't able to find a swap meet.

[RallyeMike]

You can bunches of them on eBay cheap.

There are also exchange clubs. https://www.alpca.org/

and 

[A383Wing]

I collect them also...I have some extras....we could do a trade. I will look for the ones you are missing

[grdprx]

Hi!  

I'll take a look at ebay, hadn't thought about that.  I can join the club!  Ever been to one of their meets?  That'd be something to see.

Bryan, I have some spare WA and OR plates!  

[Mopar Nut]

Try Craigslist.

[A383Wing]

Bryan, I have some spare WA and OR plates!  

yea...so do I..... 

[rt green]

i might have a south dakota one to swap

[grdprx]

i might have a south dakota one to swap

I have SD, got that from the yard in Nebraska. Got a pretty good haul there, walked out with 6 or 7 different  states I think. I'll take an inventory this weekend, I need to prep a second board to display plates anyway. The first one I have is full.

[nvrbdn]

i find them at antique stores all the time here in illinois.  we cut them up to spell the grandkids names. but yep, all the antique stores sell them.

[RallyeMike]

Ian,

If you are interested, I can spare a couple of different types of Alaska plates (plain one and a gold rush) and a WA vanity "Mopower". I don't really collect them - I just have never thrown any away. I still have that dash medallion for your ride too... 

[Chad L. Magee]

You might want to place an ad in the free trade papers for them.  We have a radio version of the wanted ads that has callers listing for sale or wanted items for free every day.  There is a guy who is searching for vintage license plates that way.  Your best bet is to target the backwoods as much as you can, as you can still find them if you look hard and long enough.... 

I collect them, but mostly for my county in Kansas because we can use them on vintage cars if they are the year of manufacture.  I have two complete mint sets from 1964 to 1974 for my county, and multiples (except 1968 for some reason) for backup just for fun.  The rest of my license plates are mostly pre-WWII issues.  My favorites are two mint 1941s and the lone 1918 plate.  Some were bought from an old antique dealer who got them from farm auctions.  He even had some that were never used....

[grdprx]

Ian,

If you are interested, I can spare a couple of different types of Alaska plates (plain one and a gold rush) and a WA vanity "Mopower". I don't really collect them - I just have never thrown any away. I still have that dash medallion for your ride too... 

That'd be really cool!  Thanks Mike, "Mopower" will look nice on top of my new display of plates.

Great ideas, thanks guys. I've got some places to hunt.

[BIGBLCK11]

Are you collecting just any plate from the state?  I would assume the nicer condition the better, but do you care how old it is?  I can prob find an OH for you.

[grdprx]

Are you collecting just any plate from the state?  I would assume the nicer condition the better, but do you care how old it is?  I can prob find an OH for you.

Better condition is good. I have an assortment of some old and new. It's neat seeing a variety of plates from each state. If you have one available, I'd be grateful.

[Old Moparz]

One year at the Fall Hershey show I saw several vendors selling only license plates. They were in boxes by the hundreds, all categorized by state. They even have NOS plates in matched pairs & several sets in sequence. Having old NOS plates for several cars all in sequence would be cool, but they weren't cheap.

As far as collecting, I only have ones that had been on my own cars over the years, all are NJ & NY. I have a few odd ball ones that were in cars I bought, like one from Alabama with a sticker from the 1980's on it. I have a couple of really old ones going back to the late 40's & early 50's when the date was embossed on the plate.

[grdprx]

I don't have much to swap, older Washington plates and a few others...  The Alaska one on the bottom has some pen marks around the flag, so not perfect.  The plates lined up on the left are pairs.  Ebay has any and every plate I could ever want, including sets of all 50 states.  I'll watch that, and see if a lot comes on that might be a good score.  I couldn't find any that I didn't already have half the plates offered.  To be expected I guess, as I piece meal my collection together.  I have 16 states currently, AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, IN, MO, MT, NE, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WY, and WA.  I've visited, but don't have plates for AZ, CT, IL, KY, MN, NV, NY, ND, OH, TN, and WV.  I'll have to get some pictures of my current collection.

[69charger2002]

I kind of collect plates too. It started by keeping my California "black plate" from one of my first chargers in 1999. I probably have half the states now. I have seen them in flea markets, swap meets and antique stores. They have some states I don't have, but at $9.99 a piece, i just couldn't do it. My collection is from chargers i've bought from all over the country and kept the plates off of when they showed up. Kind of started by accident really. One state that is harder to get nowadays is my homestate. Louisiana now requires you to turn in a plate with the sell of a vehicle, even antique plates. I probably have about 30-40 of them back when you could just call DMV and "cancel" the plate but now they require them to be physically handed over or they flag your license! I know i have a Washington State one, but even though i've bought 2 chargers from Oregon, I don't think i have a plate from there. If you want to do some swapping i have extra Louisiana Mississippi and Texas plates

[grdprx]

That's an awesome way to acquire them!  That's pretty extreme in Louisiana. I guessing people have probably swapped plates on cars and committed crimes, so I can understand the regulation. Just kills the hobby for us honest folks.
I'm interested in a swap. PM sent.

[Nwcharger]

I heard newyork requires plates to be turned in as well. I have a decent collection of plates from vehicles I have bought over the years and also got quite a few from used cars when I inspected them at the dealership. I replaced a set of newyork plates for a customer about 6 months ago and she didn't want the old plates so I put them In my stack. She came back a month later frantically asking if i still had the newyork plates. She said if she didn't turn them in that newyork state would flag her drivers license. Sucks cause I didn't have newyork in my collection.

[grdprx]

Finally got a chance to take a couple pictures.  The "Mopower" plates look great Mike!  Found a Nevada plate this weekend and picked up a couple at an antique store in Cashmere, WA as we were passing through.

[dual fours]

My oldest plate.

[grdprx]

Wow!!  That's a hundred years old!

[dual fours]

more:

[RallyeMike]

The "Mopower" plates look great Mike!

Woo-hoo. Made the top row!

[grdprx]

The "Mopower" plates look great Mike!

Woo-hoo. Made the top row!

Yes sir!   

500 going to be in Graham this weekend?

[A383Wing]

I plan on being there with the crappy purple car...at least until noon

[RallyeMike]

There will be two decrepit 500's parked side by side at Graham this weekend  Hope to see you and Bryan there.