Rick Kretschmer's License Plate Archives

Introduction

There are many hundreds, if not thousands, of license plate related web sites out there. Sad to say, but a good number of them probably are of little interest to anyone but possibly their owners. Some haven't been updated in years and have become badly out of date. Because of this, links pages that attempt to catalog every single plate web site frustrate me, as do the many links pages that link to ten or twenty other sites merely on the basis of reciprocity, or some other arbitrary criteria, rather than the quality or usefulness of each site.

正因为如此,我决定创建一个真正的帮助ful license plate links page, one that (well, for the most part) only lists the really great sites, the kind you will want to use as reference sites and visit repeatedly. Even these are categorized according to the specific plates that may be found on each site, so that you can readily find the sites that have what you're looking for. I've included links to the relevant sections of my own site, in case you came to this page directly and didn't see the site menu on my home page.

Even being listed in one of the the "recommened" sections of this page means that the site is among the best out there. Links with ablue ribbon symbol next to them areTop Pick Clicks!他们是especially recommendedfor their excellent content and presentation. These sites are the best of the best.

Note that the"Updated!" notation doesn't necessarily mean that the linked site has been updated; rather, it means that the link itself has been updated with a new web address; in other words, the site has moved to a new address, and the link reflects that.

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Recommended sites for license plate photos and information, by geographic area

Many license plate collectors specialize in plates from one or two U.S. states, countries, or other issuing jurisdictions. These sites are among the best in their coverage of a specific jurisdiction.

Worldwide

• License Plates of the WorldAn extensive site with pictures of plates from all over the world, by Michael Kustermann.
• The Francoplaque License Plate Collectors siteJean-Emmanuel Chevry presents his huge worldwide plate site.

United States

• 15q.netDave Nicholson provides a wealth of information and pictures of U.S. passenger car plates from 1969 to present.
• License Plate InformationNo photos, but tons of obscure details about all types and ages of U.S. license plates that you won't find anywhere else, by ALPCA Archivist Eric Tanner.
• The Plate ShackExtensive site with thousands of pictures, run by Marc Welby and Mike Sells.

Alaska

• Royce's Alaska License PlatesRoyce Williams provides great pics and details about Alaska plates. Needs a site map, though.

Arizona

• Arizona License PlatesLots of good photos of most years and types of Arizona license plates, presented by Gary Fox.

California

• Dave's California License PlatesDave Hindman displays photos of mostly passenger California license plates from 1914 to 1962.

Connecticut

• Connecticut License PlatesA history of various Connecticut plate types by Greg Lindberg and Dave Smith.
• Illustrated History of Connecticut License PlatesJoe Wasielewski also does Connecticut plate history, covering various types.

Delaware

• TheDelaware3000.orgPlate spotter Jordan Irazabal has an impressive photo collection of the lowest-numbered Delaware plates in use.

District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.)

• DCplates.netA professional-quality site that chronicles the history of license plates in the U.S. capital city.
• Andrew Pang's License Plate Home PagePics of current D.C. plates in actual use, an Inaugural plate run, and 1907-1918 D.C. plates.
• Erik's PhotosErik has an impressive collection of D.C. plates, even if they're in a photo album format.

Florida

• Jeff's Ultimate Florida License Plate WebsiteJeff Francis showcases his extensive Florida plate collection.

Maryland

• Rick Kretschmer's License Plate ArchivesThe most thorough coverage of Maryland license plates anywhere on the web.
• Andrew Pang's License Plate Home PagePhotos of Maryland plates from 1910-1914.
• MDplates.comJordan Irazabal and Scott Zillmer are attempting to photograph every Maryland organizational and military service plate type.
• Fun With License PlatesAnother anonymous collector who shows of his collection of mostly Maryland license plates.

Massachusetts

• Chris Woodcock's License Plate PagePhotos and descriptions of all years of Massachusetts plates, mostly passengers.

New Hampshire

• New Hampshire License Plate MuseumGerry Griffin has lots of photos of N.H. plates, but the site is devoid of any text.

New Jersey

• Jim Moini's License PlatesNobody covers New Jersey like Jim. Great photo gallery and detailed information.

New Mexico

• New Mexico License PlatesBill Johnston and Richard Miller present a detailed pictoral history of plates from the Land of Enchantment.

North Carolina

• Rick Kretschmer's License Plate ArchivesPhotos and descriptions of current and recent North Carolina plates.
• NC PlatesCollector Richard Baucom has lots of detailed info about North CarolinaFirst in Flightplates.

Oregon

• The Andrew Turnbull License Plate GalleryAndrew provides detailed info and images of Oregon passenger car plates from 1956 to the present.

Pennsylvania

• PA PL8SJohn McDevitt has images of nearly every type of Pennsylvania plate currently in use. He also now has a few plate history pages.
• Rick Kretschmer's License Plate ArchivesA detailed pictorial history of many types of Pennsylvania license plates from 1906 to the present.
• 布鲁斯Bufalini的牌照和挡风玻璃性病ckersBruce has pics of mostly current and recent Pennsylvania plates in actual use.

Texas

• The BoltholeNick DiFonzo devotes much of his site to the history of Texas license plates.
• License Plate Info .comThis is the old "Remlap" site. Jim Palmer has good info about determining the age of 1975-present Texas plates.

Virginia

• Andrew Pang's License Plate Home PageAndrew has photos of his complete Virginia passenger run, plus lots of 1906-1914 Virginia plates.

Washington (state)

• License Plates of WashingtonIan Slade has details and nice photos of passenger and motorcycle plates from the state of Washington.
• Washington State License PlatesBarbara Jo Birt offers a brief history and photos of old plates from the Evergreen State.

Washington, D.C.

• See District of Columbia, above.

West Virginia

• The Andrew Turnbull License Plate GalleryAndrew provides details about 1976-1995 West Virginia "map" plates.

Wisconsin

• The Andrew Turnbull License Plate GalleryA photo history of various Wisconsin plate types, mostly with images "borrowed" from eBay.

Canada

• 15q.netDave Nicholson provides information and pictures of Canadian passenger car plates from 1969 to present.

British Columbia

• BCpl8s.caAn award-winning history of British Columbia license plates, by Christopher Garrish.
• Jeff's License PlatesJeff shows his extensive collection of B.C. plates as well as plates from other provinces and countries.

Manitoba

• Manitoba License PlatesRoss Metcalfe shows off his collection of, well, you guessed it.

Northwest Territories and Nunavut

• The Bear's DenAn Australian collector presents his extensive collection of N.W.T. and Nunavut plates, with detailed info.
• Chris Woodcock's License Plate PageChris collects N.W.T. bear-shaped plates, issued since 1970.

Ontario

• 后保险杠Jonathan Upton presents photos and history of Ontario license plates.
• Eric's License PlatesEric Vettoretti has a lot of photos of his Ontario license plate collection.

Saskatchewan

• Paul's License PlatesPaul focuses on plates from the province of Saskatchewan. Plates from 1912 to 1959 are pictured.

Elsewhere

(Be sure to also see the Worldwide plate sites, above.)

Europe

• Dutch Numberplate ArchivesPlates from around the world, with especially good coverage of Europe, by Herman Hallo.
• Plates in RomeMichele Berionne covers Italy and also the tiny nations located within Italy, such as Vatican City and San Marino.
• Ralf's Plate PageRalf Hegewald presents the history of German plates, including both East and West German plates prior to reunification.

Japan

• License Plates of Japan and OkinawaNick Kanaya crams lots of photos of Japanese license plates into a single page.

Mexico

• Jim Moini's License PlatesJim provides extensive coverage of Mexican plates from the 1920s to the present.
• 15q.netDave Nicholson provides information and pictures of Mexican passenger car plates from 1969 to present.

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Recommended sites for license plate photos and information, by plate type

These sites, for the most part, address specific categories of U.S. and/or Canadian license plates.

Commercial vehicle plates

• Jim Moini's License PlatesJim devotes a corner of his site to apportioned plates and a few other types of truck, bus, and trailer plates.

Law enforcement-related license plates

• Statetrooperplates.comAn awesome site by Norm Ratcliffe and Allan "Coop" Cooper covering state police license plates.

Pre-state and porcelain license plates

• PorcelainPlates.netEric Taylor's comprehesive porcelain plate site is nothing less than amazing.
• LeatherLicensePlates.comSteve Raiche examines license plates from 1901-1910 that preceded those issued by states.

Sample license plates

• Nick's License PL8S PageNick Kanaya has a site devoted to U.S. sample license plates. Really nice photos.

Year 1976 license plates

• 76 License PlatesMike Sells displays his huge collection of all types of U.S and Canadian plates from 1976.

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General sites for license plate collectors

These are sites of general interest, or that provide useful resources for license plate collectors.

License plate collecting organizations (based in North America)

• ALPCAALPCA汽车车牌的收藏家ssociation, far and away the largest license plate collectors' organization in the world. This site contains a very comprehensive license plate archive section (available to members only), but there are also useful pages accessible to the general public.
  Several ALPCA regions also have their own web sites:
  • Arizona License Plate Society
  • Chesapeake Region(Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.)
  • Colonial Region(New England and New York excluding Long Island)
  • Garden State Region(New Jersey)
  • Mid-America Plate Association(Greater Chicago area)
  • Silver State Region(Nevada)
  • Utah - This is the Place Region
• Michigan License Plate Collectors Association(This group is not affiliated with ALPCA.)
• Wyoming License Plate Society(This group is not affiliated with ALPCA.)

License plate collecting meets and other events

• ALPCA Regional License Plate MeetsALPCA-sanctioned meets, as well as some plate meets not affiliated with ALPCA, are both listed.

Independent plate collecting online discussion groups

• Facebook License Plate Collectors groupProbably the biggest license plate discussion group on the entire internet. Numerous messages posted daily. (There are also MANY other license plate-related groups on Facebook.)
• PlateshedThis plate collector's forum has a little bit of everything – discussion boards, photo galleries, you name it. Heavily oriented towards Australian plates.

License plate collecting supplies

• BestsleevesMichael Wiener sells clear plastic sleeves to protect your valuable plates.
• Automobile License Plate StoreTom and Margaret also sell clear plastic sleeves, in addition to expired plates.

Digital license plate images

• ACME License MakerThis is a fun site where you can make and save license plate images with whatever plate numbers you want.
• License Plates PlusProfessional-quality, high-resolution blank license plate images for sale.

Other plate collecting resources

• The High RoadA site that tracks the highest-seen plate numbers from all U.S. and Canadian jursidictions.
• Old License PlatesThis site provides a free service to help you find license plates listed on eBay in obscure or completely wrong categories.

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Suggested places for buying collectible license plates

Many individual collectors offer plates for trade or sale on their web sites, and there are lots of great plates to be found on these sites. Of course, I would prefer that you visit and find plates on my own site before looking elsewhere.

• Rick Kretschmer's License Plate ArchivesPhotos and descriptions of collectible license plates available for trade or sale.

Online auction sites

• eBay license plates categoryeBay has many thousands of license plates up for auction at any given time. New stuff added continually.

Online license plate stores (arranged alphabetically)

• Automobile License Plate StoreTom and Margaret have teamed up to sell expired plates.
• ChucksPlates.comRun by Chuck Sakryd.
• EasyPL8S.comFormerly known as PL8S4U, but still run by the same folks.
• Felix2You may know Jeff Francis as Felix1 on eBay. Felix2 is Jeff's online license plate store.
• Great American PlatesRun by a fellow named Gap Kovach.
• Larry's License Plates
• License Plate StoreLots of hard-to-find, current graphic plates here.
• www.MCTAGS.comThis site specializes in motorcycle license plates. Descended from the previous BikerBill.com plate page.
• Paranogonah.com
• PlateBarnBased in Australia but selling plates from all over.
• The Plate DepotRun by Mark O'Neil.
• Plate DogRun by David Livingston.
• PL8 SourceRun by Michael Glauboch.
• Rustic Plates
• Tag Dr. Store佩尔曼杆是标签做的ctor, formerly known for his plate repainting services. Now he operates a license plate online store.
• Tag Shack
• Tim's Plate StoreFormerly Tim's LicensePlates4Collectors. Run by Tim Laughlin.
• TLH PlatesFormerly known as LPS LLC; now run by Terry Hammer.
• USplates.comRun by Boris Golubchik.

Non-store web sites offering extensive or specialized inventories of plates for sale (arranged alphabetically)

• DAZ PL8SA no-frills site with lots of plates for sale, by collector Dave Zubal.
• The Plate Hut

Antique car shows known for having numerous license plate vendors

• Hershey Region AACA Fall Meet所有的母亲古董车展,每年举行一次each October in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
• Charlotte Auto FairHeld twice a year in April and September, at the Lowe's Motor Speedway NASCAR track in Concord, North Carolina.

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Suggested places for restoring and repainting old license plates(arranged alphabetically)

I periodically am asked for recommendations for where to get an old license plate professionally restored and/or repainted. I've only dealt with getting a plate repainted on one occasion, which hardly qualifies me as an authority. However, I can at least point you to a few I know about and let you choose.

• Finish Your PlatesBrian Mabry repaints all types of metal plates, and also does some light restoration.
• Jim's CA License PlatesJim restores and repaints plates from any state, and sells restored/repainted California YOM plates and other automobilia.
• The Old License FarmBjorn and Nancy Larsen specialize in restoring and repainting Washington plates, but also do other states.
• Oregon License PlatesDon and Tamara Brown deal only with old Oregon plates. I'm not sure if they actually restore, or just repaint.
• License Plate RestorersHere is a list of some additional plate restorers and repainters who do not have web sites.

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Other plate sites by guys named Rick

Since I own theRicksPlates.comweb address, I suppose the least I can do for the other license plate collectors also named Rick is to provide links to their plate sites.

• Rick and Ann's homepageThis Rick lives in Belgium and displays his worldwide plate collection, and plates for trade, on his site.

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Worthwhile plate sites you might not have seen

There are some good plate sites out there that might not otherwise get much attention or traffic. So, as a public service to my fellow plate collectors, below are some license plate web sites that I've discovered, or been made aware of, that are a bit off the beaten path. I've set the standards for quality of content and presentation a bit lower for these links than the other links on this page, but these are all worthwhile places to visit, in my opinion.

• David's License platesPhotos of David's collection, displayed on the inside walls of his home.
• GeorgiaPlates.comThis site has Georgia county code and weight code info, plus Georgia plates for sale.
• Johnny's License PlatesJohnny Andresen from Norway collects U.S. and Canadian plates in addition to European plates.
• License Plate Collection of Chuck WestphalChuck shows off his porcelain plates, mostly pre-state city issues from the early 1900s.
• License Plates of South CarolinaBesides the obvious, Ben has plates for sale from many states and a want list.
• License Plate RoomA little bit of everything plate-related from an anonomous collector. Contains ads.
• Matt's Mad LabThere's something for everyone on this eclectic site.
• The North American 1000Plate spotter Reid Williamson shares his candid pics of low-numbered license plates in use.
• Our License Plate CollectionKen Snyder has a web page with some good information about Kansas plates.
• Plate-PlanetHans Stedehouder of the Netherlands presents his impressive worldwide plate collection.

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Cool sites not related to license plates

Here are some links to sites that aren't license plate related, yet I thought they might be of interest to plate collectors or people in general.

• ACME Label MakerThis is a great place to easily make and save .gif text files in a variety of fonts and colors. I used this site to make theRicksPlates.comgraphic at the top of the page.
• The Extra Miler ClubThis is a group of people with the common goal of visiting every county in the U.S. Many members of this club are also ALPCA members.
• SignMaker CentralA fun site where you can make your own highway sign images. They're a little tricky to save, though.
• Why do you think they call them counties?A site where you can track all of the U.S. counties you have visited. There are over 3,100 counties and county equivalents in the U.S.; how many have you been to?

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How to suggest a web site for inclusion on this page

I welcome suggestions for new web site links to be added to this page, either for your own site or someone else's site that you particularly like. There are a few of categories of links on this page, and any links that are added must qualify for one of the categories listed below.

• Worthwhile, but obscure license plate sites that aren't listed on many links pages and don't rank very high on search engine results. If you've got a license plate related web site that's brand new or otherwise not well-known, or if you stumble across a good plate site that I don't already know about, I'll consider including a link to that site on this page. For this link category only, the site doesn't have to be world class, but if it bombards visitors with numerous pop-up ads, has a lot of broken links, or other similar aggravations, I'm not going to link to it.
• License plate sites by other guys named Rick. After all, thisisRicksPlates.com.

In the remaining categories, I'm just not going to add every link that comes along. Only the best sites will make the cut and be listed on this page. If you want to put a link to my site on your links page, you're more than welcome to, but doing so will not give your site preferential treatment to be included here. I'm sorry if this adversely affects you, but this policy is necessary to keep this links page manageable and useful.

• Web sites that contain detailed information about, and/or lots of high quality pictures of, license plates from a specific locale or of a specific type. These sites must be of such a quality that you and other collectors would use them as a reference again and again. If your site just shows pictures of your collection of random plates, I'm most likely not going to list it here. I also don't want any sites that are primarily offering to sell, trade, or buy plates in this category. Also, sites that generate pop-up ads or have other annoying quirks need not apply.
• Web sites whose primary purpose is to offer license plates for sale or trade to collectors. These sites must have quality photos and either extensive inventories – numerous plates available from nearly every state – or must specialize in some hard-to-find plate category. Most individual collectors' sites won't qualify. Sites with plate prices geared toward one-time YOM buyers (that is, outrageous) will not be listed.
• Other general sites of interest to license plate collectors. These must be worthwhile sites that have some type of information that would be interesting or useful to most collectors.

To submit a suggestion for a new link, or to report a broken link or a new address for an existing site, pleasesend me an e-mailwith the pertinent information. Be sure to include the current URL (the web site address) of the site you are suggesting or correcting.

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Related links

This section deserves some explanation, considering that this entire page consists of links to related sites. Listed below are links tootherlinks pages, which have links to still more license plate related sites.

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This page last updated February 4, 2022