OT - License Plate Question

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: OT - License Plate Question
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Henry Petrino in Modesto, CA on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 02:35 pm:

I was going through a box of "treasures" and found the license plate that was on the TT when I got it, presumably the last time it was licensed until I re-licensed it in 2005 0r 2006. It's a 1941 California plate, 22 J 312. I imagine it's a "commercial" plate. It has surface rust and a dent at the upper right edge, but it's certainly restorable.

My question: Is there any market and/or desire for such a plate out there in the world? If it constitutes hidden wealth, then I want the maximum dollar amount for it. If, as I suspect, it's worth a few dollars tops, then maybe one of you guys would like to have it for something you're working on paying just the cost of mailing it to you.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 04:52 pm:

Henry,

I'm not a license plate collector, but I have bought YOM license plates for all 4 of our antiques. Value seems to vary from state to state with some specific years being worth more than others. I would imagine if the plate is a commercial plate, it may bring more than just a regular private vehicle, but that's just my assumption. Also, the older the more valuable as a rule, but there are certainly exceptions.

I think we had to pay more for my 1929 Georgia than for either of the 1918 or 1922 that are on our T's. Then the 1967 for the Mustang was hardly anything at all. 1929 was the only year Georgia labeled their plates 'Front' and 'Rear'. The 'Fronts' have seemed to have lasted longer than the 'Rears'. I think because people would hang onto the fronts and display them on the front of old cars when they had to display a regular plate on the rear. Then when they enacted the YOM law, people wanted 'Rears', or worse yet, a matched pair. Matched pairs of '29 Georgia plates bring several hundred dollars.

Sorry for being so long winded. I would try to contact a plate collector in your area and find out what your plate is worth. You might also check to see what they are going for on Ebay.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Henry Petrino in Modesto, CA on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 05:01 pm:

Thanks Hal, I'll check ebay. Frankly, I doubt if it's worth much but thought I should check....


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George Clipner-Los Angeles on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 05:06 pm:

There is a market for collector plates. Steve Jelf did a vid. on his plate restoration. At swap meets somebody always has a bunch of old plates. I'm always keeping an eye out for a set of Cal 26 plates. The market is small and specialized I think.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 05:47 pm:

YOu can go to dmv site and look at buying a vanity plate. Punch in your # and see if it's taken. A clear # is worth more, of course. You could pay for vanity plate and register your TT with that #.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/plates.htm


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 05:54 pm:

Can you use any year plate in CA, Ralph? GA allows only YOM. Henry's plate is a '41.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 06:17 pm:

I don't know for sure, Hal, but since he would be paying for a vanity plate, and his TT was once registered with that plate, I doubt the gendarmes would give him grief for using it, with a month and year tag on a attached above it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chuck Hoffman - Gold Country of Calif. on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 06:48 pm:

If you only have 1 plate in California, it's only good as a wall hanger.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 07:08 pm:

When the foto cops came in vogue, they changed the law for no front plate from a mere fixit, to something like $300. Now that the foto cop fiasco has failed and been tossed from most cities, the lack of a front plate is not such a big deal. I lost the front plate of the T, and my moto-cop friend said, "On that, don't worry about it."


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Henry Petrino in Modesto, CA on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 07:09 pm:

Chuck,

That's kinds what I was thinking. I do know for a fact that in spite of the many cars that don't have a front license plate (some don't even have a place to mount one in the front), here in sunny California two plate are required by law, one front and one rear.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Henry Petrino in Modesto, CA on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 07:23 pm:

What you say is reasonable, Ralph. However, my son is a cop and he says that having no front plate provides him a reason to pull you over if he decides he needs or wants to. He would not use that in most situations, but if he needs a reason, he'd have one.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 07:49 pm:

You know the risks, Henry. Are there any active warrants for your arrest? How often would you get pulled over, just to see your TT?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chuck Hoffman - Gold Country of Calif. on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 08:06 pm:

The other problem is if someone wanted YOM plates, they'd have to bring both to DMV for "inspection".


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Dewey, N. California on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 08:08 pm:

Chuck is correct, EXCEPT for 1945, when only one plate was issued to save metal for the war effort.
About 30 years ago I went with a group of As to a meet some distance away from home. While there, I put on my 1930 front plate for the show. Forgot to change it coming home. We stopped to buy gas, and a CHP officer drove up and asked me where my proper front plate was. Well, it was under the seat, so I changed it right there!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 08:08 pm:

George used the pertinent word: set. California has used two plates forever. California allows YOM plates, but as Chuck says, a single plate won't do you any good.

A few years ago I ran afoul of the two-plate requirement. Having parked my Kansas car at a Torrance mall, I returned to find a ticket on my windshield. It listed two infractions: expired tag and no front plate. It was a Sunday, so I had to wait until the next day to go to the Torrance PD and point out the unexpired sticker on my plate, and explain to them that some states, like Kansas, use only one plate.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chuck Hoffman - Gold Country of Calif. on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 09:21 pm:

Yeah, these idiots in Ca think everyone plays by their rules. Glad you were able to educate them.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mike_black on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 09:42 pm:

I'm glad I don't travel in the same circles as you guys! I got my 1st T nearly 40 years ago and have never had one legitimately registered until the last couple of years when I finally broke the code on how to get titles and antique tags in SC. My TT quit once and a FL trooper stopped and helped me push it off the road and offered to call for help--it had a 1925 FL tag I bought from ebay. Years ago I got stopped by an AR state trooper in my speedster with no tag, for doing 82 in a 55. He couldn't believe it and took 15 min checking it out--no ticket. I even totaled my T p/u a few years ago while trailering it and JC Taylor paid off (no tag or title). I drove all over IN during the T Centennial with a FL antique tag purchased from a GA swap meet. I guess I've just been lucky! .


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George Clipner-Los Angeles on Monday, August 05, 2013 - 02:02 am:

When I was at Bakerfield I found numerous plates but not many "sets". Oldest I found was 47 CA.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Aaron Griffey, Hayward Ca. on Monday, August 05, 2013 - 02:14 am:

The '41 single plate can be bought by someone who has a '41 car and wants to mount it in the rear window or whatever.
Most '41 cars had the plate in the center of the trunk.
A truck or pickup guy may want it to put on the right rear of his '41 vehicle. I see guys doing that a lot.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Martin Vowell, Sylmar, CA on Monday, August 05, 2013 - 04:49 am:

Try the online store "40 Ford Steve", that's where I got my set, and they were cleared too.


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