Vintage License plate price guide

My 10 year old son asked me if we can start collecting vintage license plates. So I like to educate myself alittle on them. Is there any price guide or a website that I can learn off? Thank you

 

That's a good question? I have a couple dozen not a clue about there value.

 

I'm not sure there is any price range guide,,it also depends on what year and state you want to collect. HRP

 

Just watch eBay. But there is no rhyme or reason to it, unless it's exceptionally rare, I've seen super nice plates go cheap and not so nice plates go for more than I'd pay for them.

 

Yea I sure we will not just have one state or year.. Just different ones

 

Join the club, great bunch of people.

<cite>www.alpca.org</cite>

 

I have picked up rusty and / or unrestored ones in the 50s for $5-$25. I have seen them in the 30s for $100-$200 restored.

 

Try hitting antique auto swap meets in your area.

 

Decide what years or states you want to collect, then occasionally search completed auctions on ebay to see what sold (or not) and for what price there...
here are completed AL plate auctions....
http://www.ebay.com/csc/i.html?_sac...icense+plate+al&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc

 

Yes I been checking Ebay I just won this one for 10.00..

 

I would think that it would be a good thing to collect, because it's cheap & easy to store & display. Still, I can't get sucked into that black hole. That being said, I picked up this one this past summer at Macungie. There's always a couple of vendors that specifically deal in plates & they always have a five dollar bin. I liked this one for the artwork, more than the antiquity. The numbers etched on the plate is the V.I.N. of the vehicle the plate was on. Up to 1920 in PA, the V.I.N. was etched on the plate by law. It looks like this guy couldn't break the habit & took it upon himself to do his own after the law changed. There is also some kid's artwork on it...maybe a young Andy Warhol?

 

From the little I know about them from buying them for my car, look up the rules on using "Historic" plates in your state. If they can still be used on a registered car, they will go for more than if they can't.

 

Depends on condition. I have a pair of NY 1932 plates I paid a whopping $2 for here. Paint was shot.

 

I received a couple plates today in the mail. Have a few more coming. Thanks for the information..

 

Alaska plates are usually pricey.
Porcelian and leather plates are also pricey if real.
Motorcycle plates can bring a good number too.
matching sets are worth more too usually.
California black plates
plate numbers that matches something like engine size

 

Saw a pair of 1932 plates that included 1932 priced at really stupid money. Send me a pm with an address and I'll send your boy a plate or two.

 

If you go to ebay to the license plates you can search all 50 states and buy a set,most of the time for a good price.Great for someome starting out.Here is a link for a search of "all 50 states"...

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=all+50+states&_sacat=32772&_odkw=&_osacat=32772

Steve

 

wow well thank you. My son thank you vey much.

 

Start collecting Alabama, and any other local plates you can, and trade them with people from other states..............Good way to start.

 

Thats a great idea.

 

I wold like to use a YOM plate on my rod, unfortunately in Massachusetts it is considered an antique plate and so you can only use a YOM plate for shows, tests, etc.... not for regular driving (as in some other states).

The commonwealth of Mass. would make more money if they allowed a YOM plate on any 25 year or older car without the antique plate restrictions....
(hope they are reading this...)

 

ya wanna see crazy? Check Great Britain and other Euro countries. Because (as I understand) they don't really have 'vanity' plates (where you can request specific letters/numbers), so anything that remotely resembles a name or a car make or any other 'message' can be sold for stupendous sums.

 

I have been collecting tags for about 4 years now. The prices are all over the map. From $10 at a swap meet for a 48 Ky. tag to $30 for a pair of 1940 IL. tags. Some people think they have gold, when they are trying to sell an old tag. Don't ever tell them you are looking for one that is the same year as your car. They jack the price up on you. There is a guy that sells old vintage tags in The Hemmings Motor News some times. Check your area Craig's List also. Good luck.

 

A few years ago I ended up with a couple boxes of old plates at an auction. Took a couple years but sold through most of em at auto swap meets. Sold a few on eBay also. If memory serves, I usually got about $5-10 for singles & $10-20 for pairs in ok to good condition. Sold the last box of singles -mostly damaged, bent up old dealer plates for a buck a plate.
Something kinda neat to keep an eye out for on the old dealer plates (at least here in Iowa) they had "new car" or "used car" across the bottom of the plate up until the early to mid '70s.

 

I have dealt with alpca members before. Most are really great, all I have met have been friendly. I will say, be careful, just like any other collectors group. I have been hosed twice by alpca members not giving plates they promised to send me, even though they had my traded material. One of them cheated me badly on an extremely rare and desirable plate, the only one known as it turned out. On top of him taking advantage of my ignorance (a local area guy that I thought was a friend) he never gave me the plates we traded for. I'm long over it, but I learned a lesson about being a rookie while dealing with experts. Most are indeed OK, though. Collecting plates can be fun, an easy but still challenging way to go is to find a plate from each state, and limit your cost to a reasonable price per state. $5 or less will buy most states if you don't care what the year is. I'm still working on motorcycle plates from each state. I could easily finish it off, but part of my challenge is not using ebay, and never paying more than $5. I have a few still to go. My new secondary collection is now motorcycle dealer plates. I have maybe 20 or so of those so far. It seems like they are worth less money, but a lot harder to find. Good luck with your new hobby!

 

Also check out this site: http://www.worldlicenseplates.com/

Charlie Stephens

 

Thank you for the link. I was looking at the California plates they have listed I have the plate they have pictured. Little more wear on it now.

http://www.worldlicenceplates.com/jpglps/US_CAXX_GI2.jpg

 

I recently got a 1943 NY plate for free, [actually a '42 plate with a '43 'band' on it] little rough, but price was right.

I have a bunch of plates [newer stuff] with many multiples, shoot me a pm if interested, and I'll make a list of what I have, find something you like and i'm sure I can send you a few.

 

Thank you for the offer I will send you a PM

 

I bought some plates from a guy for my car and became really intrigues with the hobby after meeting him. He didn't seem typical, was in his early thirtys. He would buy up collections sort them, pull the ones he wanted the sell the rest.

I don't think old plates are worth as much as some people think they are, 10-30 depending on conditions. Uniqueness really counts. This guy has a couple example of unique plates, one is a 1952 "lost plate". Match pairs can bring a little more but I bought a 1952 KS matched pair for 30 is decent condition. Glass bead and new paint and they would look like new.

http://www.kansaslicenseplates.com/

In KS you would get a tag topper in 52 to go over your 51 plate, same with 52 (saving metal for the Korean war was told) if you lost your plate they issued a new 52 plate that started with an L-.

Another unique one is where the serial numbers maches the year number.

A collectors association:
http://www.alpca.org/

If restoring a licence plate, a tip I learned was to use a Testors paint pen for coloring the numbers/letters, suppose to work really well. You can get those a hobby/model shop.