License plate collecting with the Wizard
March 12th, 2015 at 10:46:08 AM permalink | |
TheCesspit Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 23 Posts: 1929 |
I'd call it that... anywhere in the Canadian shield is 'Northern Ontario'... which stretches up a LOOONNNNGG way. I'd happily do it by train again. Just driving it is a pain in the backside. It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die.... it's called Life |
March 12th, 2015 at 1:45:55 PM permalink | |
Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 | You may recall that in my blog entry about my trip to New Zealand I lamented coming home without the European style NZ license plate. Well, now I have my chance. There is an auction for one on Ebay closing about 9:15 PM Pacific time. I've got my sniper bid ready. I think odds of getting it are pretty good, as it really isn't worth that much, and would be primarily for sentimental value. Here is the one I took a picture of in Queenstown, NZ Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |
March 12th, 2015 at 1:54:50 PM permalink | |
Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 | These two auctions really bother me: REPRODUCTION....1910 PENNSYLVANIA and REPRODUCTION....1915 PENNSYLVANIA I would lay good odds the buyer will try to resell them as originals at a car show or resell them on eBay after the dust of this auction has cleared. The part about not making any more I don't believe, and I think is there only to drive up the price. I'm totally against fakes/reproductions. If I had an antique 1910 car and lived in Pennsylvania I'd sooner put a current plate on it than one of these abominations. Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |
March 12th, 2015 at 2:03:26 PM permalink | |
Ayecarumba Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 89 Posts: 1744 |
Are there "American" style plates currently in production in NZ too? Or does everyone getting a new plate in NZ have to use the "European" style? I found it interesting that the plates come without holes. One would think EU manufacturers would standardize these things. |
March 12th, 2015 at 2:08:47 PM permalink | |
Face Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 61 Posts: 3941 | I've a question that I hope you don't take the wrong way. It is less a challenge to your integrity and more just my fascination with psychology... When I tried to procure a BVI I plate, I correctly assumed you would not have accepted it due to the illegal means I would have had to go through to obtain it. Yet with the NM plate, you have one which was, I assume, manufactured illegally and illegally smuggled out of a prison. What differentiates the two? Is it just the fact that I would have victimized a citizen, whereas the NM just harms "The Man"? Again, this isn't a judgement on your character, rather just my fascination with the "why" behind people's actions. I hope you're not offended. But I'm curious =) Be bold and risk defeat, or be cautious and encourage it. |
March 12th, 2015 at 3:23:54 PM permalink | |
Evenbob Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 146 Posts: 25010 |
Sniper bids are good for the seller. When I was selling 15 years ago, buyers had to be there when the auction ended to get there bids in. If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose. |
March 12th, 2015 at 9:56:05 PM permalink | |
Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 |
The standard NZ plates are neither American nor European. They are boring plates that just have the letters and number for the car. You would never know they were from New Zealand. They are about 5" by 14". By comparison, US plates are 6" by 12". These European style plates you have to pay extra for and I think are always vanity (personalized). They make up only about 1 in 200 cars there.
Thanks for trying in the BVI. Yes, the code of ethics for collectors is absolutely no stolen or fake plates. They shouldn't even be in your collection. A truly ethical collectors would destroy or throw away them if he somehow obtained any, perhaps as part of a sale of a whole lot of plates. So, about the NM plate. One could argue that the metal and paint used to make it was stolen from the taxpayers of New Mexico. Otherwise, it was not taken from anybody. The guy with the department of prisons had it specifically made at his request and sneaked it out himself, as I understand the story. I personally view this as a fringe benefit of the job. Who doesn't ever take a personal phone call on the job or use the copier for private use? I am sure it technically broke some rules, but who is it hurting? I am more to look at the spirit of a rule than the letter.
In my opinion, as a frequent eBay buyer, they are good for the buyer too. Putting in bids early just increases demand. That is why my eBay handle is "secondagain," because before I sniped, I was usually coming in second. Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |
March 13th, 2015 at 12:10:10 AM permalink | |
Evenbob Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 146 Posts: 25010 | So you lost the NZ plate? And the collectors I know have no ethics behind closed doors, no matter what they collect. It's every man for himself. If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose. |
March 13th, 2015 at 4:14:16 AM permalink | |
Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 |
I got it, as expected. Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |
March 23rd, 2015 at 7:53:19 PM permalink | |
rxwine Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 188 Posts: 18629 | Don't know if you're interested, but Supreme Court is hearing a case on license plates and free speech. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/03/23/battle-flag-at-center-supreme-court-free-speech-case/ You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really? |