Introduction to Collecting

by Jonathan Upton (#7135)

Getting Started

License plate collecting can be a challenging and complex hobby. There's much more to it than simply having a box of old tags in the attic, or nailing loot from the local junkyard to the walls of a garage or barn-- but these are good starts.

License plates are used all over the world, and they've been around since the turn of the century. In fact, some of the oldest plates in the world are from before 1900. There's a lot about license plates which makes them inherently collectible-- their color, origin, age, shape, condition, history... and the list goes on. There are so many different varieties of license plates in existence that collecting them all would be an impossible task. Most collectors set goals of collecting plates which are somehow close to their hearts. Perhaps that would be a collection of plates from a single year, or maybe from a certain state or town. Some people even collect plates from foreign countries which no longer exist.

The real question to a new collector would probably involve asking where to look for license plates, and that's not an easy question. Sometimes you find plates, and other times they find you. Stopping by a local junkyard or a rural dump is always a good place to start. Some collectors regularly visit auto scapyards to gather new acquisitions. Some of the luckier collectors may be able to get used plates directly from their local DMV office-- but plates are tightly regulated in some places, so don't hold your breath. License plates have also shown up in antique shops, flea markets, outdoor automotive markets, and cluttered second-hand stores. One of the best things to do is to look up the address of a local plate collector-- they're usually quite eager to "talk plates" with people, and they may just make you a few deals.

Over the last few years, the hobby has been exploding. The internet is now a valuable resource for many collectors. Deals and trades are made daily over e-mail, and many collectors even host their own plate-related websites!

Passenger Plates

A porcelain plate

An early flat plate

Passenger plates are those issued to private cars. The earliest plates had a porcelain finish, much like your stove or bathtub. In the early years, some of these plates had no dates, but can usually be identified, thanks to records and research.

Some early plates were made of flat metal and simply had their numbers and designs stamped in paint on the face of the plate. These plates are known by collectors as "flats".

In the 1920's, most states began to issue embossed metal plates. These were made of tin, steel or aluminum, with the numbers stamped into the plates by dies. This method of producing license plates has remained basically the same right up to the current day.

In the 1970's and 80's, some stated experimented with reflective sheeting on their license plates. While many early examples of this white sheeting turned yellow, today this is the most widespread method of making USA license plates. Many states have introduced very attractive and colorful designs using this technology.

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