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Rick Kretschmer's License Plate Archives |
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Rick Kretschmer's License Plate Archives |
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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 Some haven't been updated in years and have become badly out of date.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.Because of this, I decided to create a really helpful 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.
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 a
blue ribbon symbol next to them are Top Pick Clicks! They are especially recommended for their excellent content and presentation. These sites are the best of the best.
Latest noteworthy updates:
- Dec. 15, 2007 - Removed links to a site whose scope has changed significantly and is no longer of interest. Verified all links and removed links to defunct sites. Added and updated a few links for license plate stores.
- Dec. 26, 2007 - Added a couple of links in the Worthwhile Plate Sites section.
- Feb. 19, 2008 - Added a new section for non-plate-related links. Reinstated Buddy Harris' firefighter plate site, which has a new web address.
- Mar. 7, 2008 - Added a link and awarded a
- Apr. 21, 2008 - Added a link to an Alabama license plate site I stumbled across. Reinstated Buddy Harris' Florida plate site, which has a new web address. Added links to a couple of additional online license plate stores, and an additional plate restorer.
- June 4, 2008 - Added an additional license plate online store link; removed one that was widely reported to be ripping people off.
On this page:
Recommended sites for license plate photos and information, by geographic area
Recommended sites for license plate photos and information, by plate type
Recommended general sites for license plate collectors
Suggested sites for buying collectible license plates
Suggested sites for restoring and repainting old license plates
Other plate sites by guys named Rick
Worthwhile plate sites you might not have seen
Cool non-license plate links
How to suggest a web site for inclusion on this page
Related Links (links to other links pages)
Many license plate collectors specialize in plates from one or or a few U.S. states, countries, or other issuing jurisdictions. These sites are among the best in their coverage of a specific state or jurisdiction.Top
- Worldwide
- License Plates of the World An extensive site with pictures of plates from all over the world, by Michael Kustermann.
- The Francoplaque License Plate Collectors site Jean-Emmanuel Chevry presents his huge worldwide plate site.
- The License Plate Gallery Tim O'Connor has an extensive site with lots of nice pictures of plates from around the world.
(Tim has a great plate site, but his separate personal home page is rather nasty. Don't click on Tim's home page link if you're easily offended.)
- United States
- The Plate Shack Extensive site with thousands of pictures, run by Marc Welby and Mike Sells.
- Alabama
BamaPlates.com A partially-complete site by an anonomous collector. What's there is pretty good, though.
- Alaska
- Royce's Alaska License Plates Royce Williams provides great pics and details about Alaska plates. Needs a site map, though.
- Arizona
- Arizona License Plates Lots of good photos of most years and types of Arizona license plates, presented by Gary Fox.
- California
- Dave's California License Plates Dave Hindman displays photos of mostly passenger California license plates from 1914 to 1962.
- Witt Web There's not a lot to this site, but it does have several photos and descriptions of various California pre-state plates.
- Connecticut
- Connecticut Marker Plate History A well-done site by H.L. Marney, with narrative and photos covering passenger plate history.
- Connecticut License Plates A history of various Connecticut plate types by Greg Lindberg and Dave Smith.
- A Connecticut License Plate Collection Joe Wasielewski and Mike Barnes also do Connecticut plate history covering various types.
- District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.)
- Andrew Pang's License Plate Home Page Pics of current D.C. plates in actual use, an Inaugural plate run, and 1907-1918 D.C. plates.
- Erik's Photos Erik has an impressive collection of D.C. plates, even if they're in a photo album format.
- Florida
Pl8man of Florida Buddy Harris's site is back with a new address. Buddy has some good information and photos of Florida plates.
- Jeff's Ultimate Florida License Plate Website Jeff Francis showcases his extensive Florida plate collection.
- Idaho
- Idaho License Plates The Idaho State Historical Society has a section of their web site devetoted to, well, you guessed it.
- Illinois
- The History of Illinois License Plates The Illinois Secretary of State presents both an interactive video history and a static, printable version.
- Indiana
- Jacob's License Plate Website Jacob Newkirk shows his gallery of his complete Indiana passenger run, as well as other Hoosier plate types.
- Scott K's License Plate Home Page Scott Kaiser hasn't updated his site in several years, but it's still a good resource.
- Iowa
- State of Iowa Vehicle License Plates Collector Michael Scheel chronicles the history of Iowa license plates.
- Maine
- Jeff's Maine License Plates Website Jeff thoroughly covers Maine plates from the 1950s forward.
(Jeff has unfortunately chosen to intentionally and prominently display a plate with sexual connotations on the front page of his otherwise well-done site.)- Maryland
- Andrew Pang's License Plate Home Page Photos of current Maryland plates in actual use, plus Maryland plates from 1910-1914.
- Massachusetts
- Chris Woodcock's License Plate Page Photos and descriptions of all years of Massachusetts plates, mostly passengers.
- History of the Plate The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles presents a brief history of their state's license plates.
- Michigan
- Whit's Plates Extensive photo gallery of all types and ages of Michigan plates, by Bill "Whit" Whitworth. Many 1910-1914 Michigan plates.
- Plates by the Year The Michigan Historical Museum has an online display of mostly passenger car Michigan license plates.
- Mississippi
- Brett Kittredge's License Plates Brett documents Mississippi plates from 1977 to the present day.
- Missouri
- Missouri License Plate Museum It's not all there yet, but Danny has made a good start on his Missouri plate photo site.
- New Hampshire
- New Hampshire License Plate Museum Gerry Griffin has lots of photos of N.H. plates, but the site is devoid of text.
- New Jersey
- JFAZEKAS.NET Jeff Fazekas has lots of nice photos of New Jersey plates from 1959 to the present.
- New York
- NYplates.net Scott Smith presents photos of New York passenger car plates from the early 1900s to the present.
- North Carolina
- Rick Kretschmer's License Plate Archives Rick has photos and descriptions of current and recent North Carolina plates.
- Oklahoma
- Whit's Plates Bill "Whit" Whitworth is well known for his Michigan plates, but he also collects Oklahoma.
- Oregon
- The Andrew Turnbull License Plate Gallery Andrew provides detailed info and images of Oregon plates from 1956 to the present.
- Pennsylvania
- Rick Kretschmer's License Plate Archives Rick presents a detailed pictorial history of Pennsylvania passenger car and truck plates.
- Bruce Bufalini's License Plates and Windshield Stickers Bruce has pics of mostly current and recent Pennsylvania plates in actual use.
- Texas
- The Bolthole Nick DiFonzo devotes much of his site to the history of Texas license plates.
- License Plate Info .com This is the old "Remlap" site. Jim Palmer has good info about determining the age of 1975-present Texas plates.
- Vermont
- JFAZEKAS.NET Jeff Fazekas has lots of photos of current Vermont plates, issued from 1985 to present.
- Virginia
- Andrew Pang's License Plate Home Page Andrew has photos of his complete Virginia passenger run, plus lots of 1906-1914 Virginia plates.
- Billy's Virginia Plates Billy Moore presents his extensive collection of graphic plates from Virgina and elsewhere.
- Washington (state)
- License Plates of Washington Ian Slade has details and nice photos of passenger and motorcycle plates from the state of Washington.
- Washington State License Plates Barbara 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 Gallery Andrew provides details about 1976-95 West Virginia "map" plates.
- Canada
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- Manitoba license plates Manny Jacob has photos and information about various Manitoba plates types from 1983 to present.
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Newfie Plates Bonanza Mike Franks offers photos of various types of Newfoundland plates from the 1950s to the present.
- Northwest Territories and Nunavut
- The Bear's Den An Australian collector presents his extensive collection of N.W.T. and Nunavut plates, with detailed info.
- Chris Woodcock's License Plate Page Chris collects N.W.T. bear-shaped plates, issued since 1970.
- Saskatchewan
- Paul's License Plates Paul focuses on plates from the province of Saskatchewan. Plates from 1912 to 1967 are pictured.
- Other Regions and Countries
- (Be sure to also see the Worldwide plate sites, above.)
- Australia
- The Number Plate Collection Dion Rinaldi of Australia has lots of photos of mostly Australian plates.
- Europe
- Dutch Numberplate Archives Plates from around the world, with especially good coverage of Europe, by Herman Hallo.
- Italy
- Plates in Rome Michele Berionne covers Italy and also the tiny nations located within Italy, such as Vatican City and San Marino.
- Mexico
- License Plates of Mexico Raúl Conde is a plate collector from Mexico; his bilingual site provides firsthand information and photos.
- Japan
- License Plates of Japan and Okinawa Nick Kanaya crams lots of photos of Japanese plates into a single page.
These sites, for the most part, address specific categories of U.S. and Canadian license plates.Top
- Antique and historic vehicle license plates
- Antique Auto License Plates Steve Grove specializes in U.S. license plates issued to antique and historic vehicles.
- Street Rod License Plates An anonymous collector presents photos and details of plates issued to heavily modified old vehicles.
- Commercial vehicle plates
- Jim Moini's License Plates Jim devotes a corner of his site to apportioned plates and a few other types of truck, bus, and trailer plates.
- Manitoba license plates Manny Jacob has photos of PRP (apportioned) plates from all participating Canadian jurisdictions.
- Environmental and wildlife themed license plates
- Wildlife & Environmental License Plates Ken Stratton is the man when it comes to plates with nature themes.
- Firefighting-related license plates
- The Pl8man's Comprehensive Guide to Firefighter License Plates of the United States A site by firefighter Buddy Harris.
- Law enforcement-related license plates
- Motorcycle license plates
- Vman's Motorcycle License Plate Collection "Vman" has a rather extensive collection and lots of pictures.
- Dermako's Motorcycle License Plate Collection "Dermako" has a few year runs going, and also collects Native American m/c plates.
- Porcelain license plates
- Pro-life themed license plates
- Brett Kittredge's License Plates Brett provides photos and information about "Choose Life" and other similar specialty plates.
- Sample license plates
- Poochi's Home Page Paul Bagnarol has pictures of all the sample and prototype plates you could ever hope to see.
- Nick's License PL8S Page Nick Kanaya has a site devoted to U.S. sample license plates. Really nice photos.
- Year 1976 license plates
- 76 License Plates Mike Sells displays his huge collection of all types of U.S and Canadian plates from 1976.
These are sites of general interest, or that provide useful resources for license plate collectors.Top
- Automobile License Plate Collectors Association (ALPCA)
- ALPCA is 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.
- LicensePlates.cc
- The license plate collector's portal for news, galleries, and events. Not updated as often as it once was, but there's still lots of useful info.
- Yahoo! PLATES group
- Probably the biggest license plate collecting discussion group out there now. Most former AOL PLATES listserv members ended up here.
- Plateshed
- This plate collector's forum has a little bit of everything - discussion boards, photo galleries, you name it. Heavily oriented towards Australia.
- Old License Plates
- This useful site provides a free service to help you find license plates listed on eBay in obscure or completely wrong categories.
- License Plate Values
- On this site you can order the License Plate Values price guide book by Bob and Chuck Crisler. An excellent resource.
- Frog Hollow Tag Trader
- Info about how to subscribe to this bi-monthly license plate collectors' newsletter.
- Listserv Online Photo Gallery
- Jim Moini maintains this rogues' gallery of plate collectors who were or are active on the AOL and Yahoo! discussion boards.
- ACME License Maker
- This is a fun site where you can make and save license plate images with whatever plate numbers you want.
- R.T.'s Blank Plates
- ACME uses blank plate images from this site. You can too, for free, but you'll have to add plate numbers using your own graphics software.
- License Plates Plus
- Professional-quality, high-resolution blank license plate images for sale.
- bestplates.com
- Michael Wiener sells clear plastic sleeves to protect your valuable 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.TopRick Kretschmer's License Plate Archives Rick has photos and descriptions of collectible license plates available for trade or sale.
- Online auction sites' license plate sections
- Online license plate stores (now arranged alphabetically)
- Felix2 You may know Jeff Francis as Felix1 on eBay. Felix2 is Jeff's online license plate store.
- Larry's License Plates Larry bought the old AmChild domain name and plate inventory. This site no longer supports a charity.
- License Plates America
- The Plate Depot Run by Mark O'Neil.
- The Plate Hut
- PL8 Source Run by Michael Glauboch.
- PL8S4U
- PlatesUSA
- Tim's LicensePlates4Collectors Run by Tim Laughlin.
- TurnerPlates.com Run by Robert Turner.
- USplates.com Run by Boris Golubchik.
- Non-store sites offering especially extensive, or specialized, inventories of plates for sale or trade (now arranged alphabetically)
- BikerBill.com A particularly large selection of motorcycle license plates for sale.
- DAZ.PL8.com A no-frills site with lots of plates for sale, by collector Dave Zubal.
- Steven Gaj This collector specializes in selling porcelain license plates from the early 1900s, but also sells newer plates.
- License Plate Store Lots of hard-to-find, current graphic plates here, but bring plenty of money - this guy knows how bad you want them.
- Jim Moini's License Plates Most of Jim's available plates are truck and trailer plates.
- msplates.com Greg Tomes offers a wide variety of plates from all over. Lots of older plates to be found here.
- PL8S.com Collector Drew Steitz offers a very extensive selection of license plates for sale.
I periodically am asked for recommendations for where to get an old license plate professionally restored and/or repainted. I've never used the services of any of these places, so I can't personally recommend them, but I can at least point you to a few I know about.Top
- Professional license plate repainters and restorers
- Tag Dr. Rod Pearman is the Tag Doctor. He offers both restoration and repainting services.
- Darryl's License Plate Restoration Darryl also both restores and repaints old license plates.
- MoJo ArtWorks Bill McCoy does light restoration and repainting of old license plates.
- Oregon License Plates Don and Tamara Brown deal only with old Oregon plates. I'm not sure if they actually restore, or just repaint.
- License Plate Restorers Here is a list of some additional plate restorers and repainters who do not have web sites.
TopSince I own the ricksplates.com web 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 homepage This Rick lives in Belgium and displays his worldwide plate collection, and plates for trade, on his site.
License Plates of the Model A Ford Era Rick Black displays photos of license plates from the years 1928 to 1931.
TopThere are some good plate sites out there that don't get much attention or traffic, mostly because they're not listed on the prominent link pages. 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.
Ben Bunton Ben has images of South Carolina graphic plates, info about Georgia county codes and weight codes, and a want list.
Jon Cohen's License Plate Collection Jon displays his collection of plates related to kids and education.
David's License plates Photos of David's collection, displayed on the inside walls of his home.
FLPL8S.COM Howard Hinz offers old Florida plates for sale.
Eddie Haskell's Plate Page "Eddie" has a bunch of pics of Kansas plates, a 1960 run, plates for trade, and a want list.
Johnny's License Plates Johnny Andresen is from Norway, but he collects 1963 and recent U.S. and Canadian license plates.
License Plate Collection of Chuck Westphal Chuck shows off his porcelain plates, mostly pre-state city issues from the early 1900s.
License Plates This anonymous collector displays his mostly North American plate collection. I think he needs a more creative site name.
License Plates Robert Bechtold of the Netherlands displays his U.S. license plate collection. Another very unimaginitive site name.
License Plates and Other Hobbies David Doernberg describes the various things he collects. This page is mostly text.
License Plates by bigdaddyolds Richard Baucom's first site consists primarily of a want list, mostly for North Carolina plates.
ncplates Richard Baucom's second site shows current North Carolina passenger plate variations, and a few plates for sale.
Our License Plate Collection Ken Snyder has a web page with some good information about Kansas plates.
Plates for Sale So far, this web site by Eric Getchell consists of a page of, well, you guessed it.
Plate-Planet Hans Stedehouder of the Netherlands presents his impressive worldwide plate collection.
Spencer's License Plates Spencer shows off his collection of Michigan plates and his 50 state set.
TopHere 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 Maker
- This 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 the ricksplates.com graphic at the top of the page.
- SignMaker Central
- Another 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?
TopI 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 these categories:
- Worthwhile, but obscure license plate sites that are not listed on the more prominent links pages. If you've got a license plate related web site that's brand new or otherwise not listed on the ALPCA members' sites links page, the LicensePlates.cc links page, etc., or if you stumble across a good plate site that's not listed on one of these links pages, I'll consider including a link to the site on this page. For this link category only, the site doesn't have to be a world class plate site, but if it bombards visitors with numerous pop-up ads, I'm not going to link to it.
- License plate sites by other guys named Rick. After all, this is ricksplates.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 included 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, please send me an e-mail with the pertinent information. Be sure to include the current URL (the web site address) of the site you are suggesting or correcting.
Elsewhere on the web - More Links to Other License Plate Web Sites
dmoz Open Directory Project The definitive web directory. Be sure to also look under the Image Galleries and Personal Pages subcategories.
Links to other License Plate Websites Andrew Pang has a thorough listing of plate sites. He comments on each site, and verifies the links regularly.
License Plates Links Lots of good links, including to a number of international plate sites, by Michael Kustermann.
PL8S.com License Plate Website Links Drew Steitz goes to the trouble of evaluating, rating, and making comments about each site. But I seem to be Dr. Hook to his Rolling Stone magazine. (a little 1970s pop music humor)
AAMVA All Jurisdiction Links Links to all U.S. and Canadian official vehicle licensing agencies and state/provincial law enforcement agencies.
ALPCA License Plate Links Links to various sites of interest to plate collectors, but no members' personal sites. Accessible by the general public.
ALPCA Links to Member Web Sites Now accessible by ALPCA members only. Links to ALPCA members' personal plate sites.
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