Rick's Cardinal Plates

The Illinois cardinal plate is a special issue plate whose proceeds are used to maintain and preserve Illinois parks. The top plate shown is a first generation cardinal plate, which was first issued in April 1994. During the 2001-2002 general reissue of standard plates, the cardinal plates were redesigned and reissued as well. The bottom plate is an example of one of these, and this style continues to be issued today. These plates currently cost $40 extra the first year, and $27 extra each renewal.

Illinois issues a multitude of license plates for special events that take place within the state. Although primarily used as souvenirs, they are legitimate state-issued license plates that are actually valid for street use for up to 60 days, expiring on the last day of the event as shown on the plate. The 1996 ALPCA convention was held in Peoria, Illinois, and the special event plate produced for this event was heavily based on the environmental plate, as you can see.

Ball State University is located in Muncie, Indiana, and its sports teams are called the Cardinals, obviously. The Ball State license plate is available for a $40 annual fee only to those Indiana motorists who are members of the Ball State Alumni Association. $25 of the fee goes to the Association for funding scholarships, among other things. This plate continues to be available today.

The now-discontinued Hoosier Safety optional-issue plate cost $40 extra per year, $25 of which was a donation to the Emergency Management, Fire and Building Services, and Public Safety Training Foundation (is that a mouthful?) for various projects "to ensure the safety and well being of the citizens of Indiana". The word Hoosier means a native or resident of Indiana. A nearly identical plate with the legend "Secure Indiana" is now being issued in its place for the same cost. The new plate funds the Indiana Homeland Security Foundation.

Ohio wildlife plates with cardinals on them have been issued on several different base plates. Shown are the first generation plate introduced in about 1997, and the third generation issued beginning in 2004. The current wildlife plate costs Ohio motorists an additional $25 per year over the cost of a standard-issue plate. According to the Ohio BMV, $15 of this fee "helps to support endangered species and wildlife programs". The stickers in the lower left corners of these plates identify the motorists' counties; "23" is Fairfield County and "25" is Franklin County.

Kentucky has issued several plates to support environmental causes, the cardinal plate being among them. There are two versions of this plate; the earlier version with a white "Kentucky" outlined in black, and the newer one, with a solid black "Kentucky" that's much easier to read. Both are now discontinued in favor of a hummingbird plate, but when issued, the cardinal plates cost an extra $25 per year.

I know it must be hard to try to make a cardinal look tough, but I've never heard of a bird with teeth! This is the third generation of University of Louisville plates issued by Kentucky, first issued in 2003. Neither of the first two versions had a cardinal on them. This plate now costs a whopping $56 the first year and at five year intervals when the plate is reissued; it's $31 extra each year renewal stickers are issued. $10 each year goes to the university's general scholarship fund. This design is due to be replaced in 2008; it remains to be seen whether the next version will feature a cardinal.

The Virginia cardinal plate has been on the road since the early 1990s, and is among the more popular of Virginia's numerous optional issue plates. It can be obtained for a $10 one-time fee. This plate has pretty much consumed the entire range of serial numbers in the xx-0000 format, with new plates currently being issued in the "Z" series. It remains to be seen if a new serial format will be started when ZZ-9999 is reached.

This plate, like the North Carolina standard-issue passenger plate on which it is based, has been around for many years. These plates are not terribly popular; since they look so similar to the standard-issue plates, there is little motivation for motorists to pay $20 extra per year for the privilege of displaying them, especially with such a small picture. $10 of this goes to the state Wildlife Resources Commission's wildlife conservation fund.