Vintage License Plates

[Citizen]

This is not directly DeLorean related, I know, but...does anyone collect or have knowledge of value of vintage license plates? Or, know how to find out about which ones might be valuable, if any?

I have a collection of about 50, most of which have been on our family's cars for the past 40 years or so. Most probably are not worth anything except to me. However, I have one that I believe might be extremely valuable due to it's rarity, but I just don't know, hence this post.

Thanks if anyone can help.

Thomas

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[ccurzio]

Most are not worth anything. That's why you see them hanging up in restaurants and bars and find them in stores for $1 a piece.

I've never heard of a "rare" license plate but I'm sure they exist. Nobody's going to give you any kind of idea what it might be worth without more details though. Just saying you have a license plate you think might be really valuable is the functional equivalent of exactly zero information to go on.

What condition is it in?
How old is it?
Where did you get it?
What makes it so special and/or rare?

Without ALL of this information, I'd estimate your license plate is worth something between three cents and one hundred thousand dollars.

[Dangermouse]

I was reading an article about this recently and was shocked to see current GA plates being sold for between $35 and $50 at flea markets.

[Citizen]

Most are not worth anything. That's why you see them hanging up in restaurants and bars and find them in stores for $1 a piece.

[SNIP]
Nobody's going to give you any kind of idea what it might be worth without more details though. Just saying you have a license plate you think might be really valuable is the functional equivalent of exactly zero information to go on.

[SNIP]
Without ALL of this information, I'd estimate your license plate is worth something between three cents and one hundred thousand dollars.

Your points are well taken Chris. While I wasn't actually asking in my first post for anyone to give me the value of my plate without knowing anything about it, I was instead asking if anyone had a lead on how to find out such a thing. Maybe someone might know of a website, or someone else in the know that collects them.

I also acknowledged right off that I know most are not worth anything to anyone but me.

That said, here is the info...

What condition is it in? Very good, but not un-used

How old is it? circa 1979 (about 34 years old)

Where did you get it? It was on my car from 1978 to 1979

What makes it so special and/or rare? It is a Canal Zone plate. As you may or may not know, the Panama Canal Zone was a US territory until 1979, when then president Carter gave it back to Panama 20 years before the lease expired. I was down there during the transition (from 1978-1980. It was a big event at the time, and very significant in the history of the United States and Panama.

Again, if anyone might know of how to determine if certain old plates might be valuable, that's all I'm really looking for.

Thanks in advance.

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[ccurzio]

A quick search shows that there's a bunch of those out there. Canal Zone plates from the '40s and '50s seem to be going for between $75 to $250, though plates from the '70s are more around $25. The "SAMPLE" plates fetch a higher price, but since yours was on your car you're probably looking at something like $30.

[Citizen]

I was reading an article about this recently and was shocked to see current GA plates being sold for between $35 and $50 at flea markets.

That's good to know, because many of the plates I have are from Georgia. Parts of our family have lived in the Atlanta area since 1977, and I got most of their plates. I still have a brother there (bounces between Norcross and Fayetteville).

BTW, I had seen your side-bar information, and I had been wanting to ask you for quite some time now, if the "Atlanta OTP GA" is an abreviation for Oglethorpe University. I know where it is, because of having passed it countless times taking Marta, going to/from Doraville and Five-Points (or further down to the airport).

Thomas

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[Citizen]

A quick search shows that there's a bunch of those out there. Canal Zone plates from the '40s and '50s seem to be going for between $75 to $250, though plates from the '70s are more around $25. The "SAMPLE" plates fetch a higher price, but since yours was on your car you're probably looking at something like $30.

I'm a little embarrassed. I guess the lesson here is I should have Google’d up the information before posting here.

'Will try to to more research via the internet next time, before just throwing out an open question like that...Thanks just the same, for the information you provided!

Thomas

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[ccurzio]

Nah, no embarrassment. We're all friends here. :)


BTW, I had seen your side-bar information, and I had been wanting to ask you for quite some time now, if the "Atlanta OTP GA" is an abreviation for Oglethorpe University. I know where it is, because of having passed it countless times taking Marta, going to/from Doraville and Five-Points (or further down to the airport).

OTP is short for "Outside The Perimeter" 'round these parts.

[Citizen]

OTP is short for "Outside The Perimeter" 'round these parts.

Ahh! That makes more sense. Thanks for the clarification.

T.

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[Dangermouse]

Us OTPers have a superiority complex over the ITPers like forum member "nullset".

Strangely, he has the opposite opinion :)



GA plate is the same in either case.

But I work in Norcross so hit me up whenever you are in town.

[ccurzio]

I wonder if I'm OOTP.

[Jimmyvonviggle]

Just for your information leather license plates, manufacturer plates and plates that were individually made by the owners for their own cars are worth quite a bit.

[Dangermouse]

Just for your information leather license plates, manufacturer plates and plates that were individually made by the owners for their own cars are worth quite a bit.

I remember an episode of American Pickers where they found an old leather plate. Iirc It had been originally on the first (insert old car brand here) and they sold it to the museum for $3000 I think.

[DMCMW Dave]

I was reading an article about this recently and was shocked to see current GA plates being sold for between $35 and $50 at flea markets.

Probably because the Bad Guys use them instead of registered plates. They keyword here is "current".

This is the one unintended conseqeunces of states running multi-year (stickies) plates. In the old days at least in Illinois, all plates changed dramatically every year, on the same day, and it was VERY obvious if someone was driving on an expired plate.

[Dangermouse]

Here's the one I was thinking about. The GA plates are shown as 10-35 (not 35-50, sorry about that) for what looks like the same plate. I can speculate about the difference, but that may qualify as a religious post, so i won't.


http://jalopnik.com/5963138/the-kind-of-people-you-meet-at-a-license-plate-fair

[THVGJP]

Just for your information leather license plates, manufacturer plates and plates that were individually made by the owners for their own cars are worth quite a bit.These are also the most counterfit, and fraud liable areas in License plate collecting. Many collectors have been thrown out of the license plate collectors club of America (ALPCA) due to missdeeds with these plates. Authenticity is just too hard to tell with these, however the early porcelin plates bring a pretty penny