License plate collecting with the Wizard

Quote: Wizard

Personally, I oppose this. Before, it was quite the status symbol in California to have an original yellow on black license plate, which ran from 1963 to 1968. Now any schmoe can order one from the DMV and put it on any car. In all fairness, you can still tell the originals from the new ones. The new ones, for one thing, look newer. For another, the lettering looks a little smaller and skinnier.

So you always had the option of keeping your old plates? Or is this a YOM thing on classic cars?

Quote: AZDuffman

So you always had the option of keeping your old plates? Or is this a YOM thing on classic cars?

It's both. I'm pretty sure in California you could always keep your old plates if you wanted or upgrade for free to whatever the new style was. I think almost everybody chose to keep their own plates. However, I think when they went from the black on yellow to yellow on black in 1963, they made everybody switch. I say this because when I was a kid, growing up in California in the 60's and 70's, you never saw the black on yellow plates.

You could also buy old plates and put them on your car, as long as the combination cleared, if the car was at least x years old and the license plate matched the YOM. I think x is 20 or 25.

Quote: Wizard

I say this because when I was a kid, growing up in California in the 60's and 70's, you never saw the black on yellow plates.

Not to pry, but I thought you grew up near Baltimore?

Quote: AZDuffman

Not to pry, but I thought you grew up near Baltimore?

No. I lived in Seal Beach, CA, which is in Orange County, next to Long Beach, from the age of 5 to when I went off to college in Santa Barbara. I think I lived in Santa Barbara at the same time EvenBob did. After I graduated in 1988, I lived in various places in the Los Angeles area until I was offered a promotion in Baltimore, which I happily took. My life was going nowhere in in California. In late 1989 I was living on a couch in a friend's garage and didn't even have that garage to myself. I shared it with somebody appropriately nicknamed "dirty." My years between 1988 and early 1992 were truly sad and pathetic.

I lived in Baltimore from 1992 to 2001. Then Vegas ever since.

I'm sure that was more than you needed to know. One of these days I should write the story of my life but I'm afraid I would depress myself writing it.

Quote: Wizard

My years between 1988 and early 1992 were truly sad and pathetic.

We have all had those times. Makes better men of those who overcome them.

Quote: AZDuffman

We have all had those times. Makes better men of those who overcome them.

Thanks.

There are three states I put an emphasis on when it comes to license plates, the three I have lived in -- California, Nevada, and Maryland. The only year I'm missing from a Maryland run (one plate for each year) is 1910, the first year of issue.

The 1910 Maryland was made of a very thin and poor-quality metal. For this reason, few survive to this day, and most of those are in terrible shape. What few known nice ones rarely change hands.

That said, there is a very nice one, at least grading on a curve, on Ebay.

1910 Maryland License Plate VG ORIGINAL PAINT Amazing!! Low Number 3-Digit Rare

$6,000 is a reasonable price for this license plate. Probably not low enough to actually sell, but if you wanted one this nice, you would find it very hard to find a better price. If I were doing better financially, I would buy it. At this time, I can't justify it. Too bad it isn't a no reserve auction. I bet it would go for about $3,000 if it were.

Mike, Did you live in Woodlawn ? I grew up in Hampden, a neighborhood in Baltimore. Per 2010 census 94% white. Used to hustle pool do a few flimflams in Mondawmin 98% black. About same as when I was got out of USAF in 1966. Woodlawn now has SSA buildings and workers, but also CMS workforce Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services.

Woodlawn County 52% black 38% white.

Families at or below poverty line Woodlawn County 4% Baltimore City 40%

You can pick up an easy $20 towards that plate. Am willing to bet your BIKING time to be under 4 hrs and 30 minutes.

Quote: Wizard

...the lettering looks a little smaller and skinnier.

The font is skinnier to accommodate the "modern" need for seven characters and two half spaces. "Original" plates had a max of 6 characters and a space.

Quote: buzzardknot

Mike, Did you live in Woodlawn ?

I used to live in an apartment almost next to the SSA building. Then I moved a little further away, near Security Blvd and Rolling Road. I'm still not sure what the name of the neighborhood was. I think the post office associated my zip code, 21244, with Gwynn Oak, which nobody ever actually called it by.

Quote:

You can pick up an easy $20 towards that plate. Am willing to bet your BIKING time to be under 4 hrs and 30 minutes.

I hate to bet the over on myself. You could accuse me of deliberately throwing my time to win the bet.