license plate wanted

Rick Kretschmer's License Plate Archives 

license plate wanted
Plates shown above aren't from my collection – that's why they're on my want list!

Rick's Want List

License plates I'm seeking for my collection

 

On this page you'll find a rather long list of license plates that I'm seeking for my personal collection. 

New plates wanted were last added to the list on January 15, 2024.  This page was last updated on March 11, 2024. 

Latest noteworthy updates to this page, other than the addition and removal of plates on my want list: 

  • December 1, 2021  –  Added a section for plates needed to complete my various sub-collections. 
  • December 16, 2014  –  Completely restructured the Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania plates wanted sections to be better organized and easier to understand. 

I am always interested in any free license plates, regardless of country, state, type, age, or condition.

Introduction

Shown on this page is an extensive list of specific license plates that I'd like to add to my collection. 

My want list consists of plates that I know about.  It's always possible that there's a plate that I don't know exists, and therefore is not listed, that fits into some plate category that I collect.  If you know of any such plates, and especially if you have one to trade or sell, feel free to let me know about it. 

In any case, I'd rather trade than buy, if possible.  Please check out my trade box to see if I have anything you can use. 

Specific license plates wanted to complete some of my runs and sets

I'm now at a point where I several plate runs and sets that are close to being finished, only lacking a small number of plates.  (A "run" is a one-plate-per-year sub-collection, where a "set" is any other sub-collection.)  Anyway, I want to highlight those plates I'm still missing, in the hopes that I can complete some of these in my lifetime. 

My U.S. state and territorial anniversary plate set
Missing anniversaries
My 1959 U.S. state and territorial passenger car set
Missing jurisdictions
Missing variations
My Pennsylvania passenger car run
Missing years
My Maryland passenger car run
Missing years

Summary of license plates wanted, by general category

It's hard to summarize the categories of plates that I'm looking for, because for any given category that I collect, I frequently already have many or most of the specific plates in that category.  But, I'll take a stab at listing general categories of plates where there are many that I'm still wanting. 

Specific license plates wanted, by jurisdiction

United States

(I do not currently need any plates from Minnesota or North Carolina unless they meet one of the general criteria above, or they're free.) 

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia  (Washington, D.C.)
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois

Years that are underlined and/or clickable are those for which I already have a plate, but want to find one in better condition.  Clicking the year will show you the one I've already got, so you can judge whether yours is better than mine or not.  If the year is underlined but not clickable, I don't have a photo available of the plate in my collection. 

For passenger car plates from 1979 forward, I only want rear plates with a single (natural) expiration sticker. 

Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland

Plates described below that are underlined and/or clickable are those for which I already have a plate, but want to find one in better condition.  Clicking the link will show you the one I've already got, so you can judge whether yours is better than mine or not.  If the plate decription is underlined but not clickable, I don't have a photo available of the plate in my collection.  Plates whose descriptions are enclosed in parentheses are a lower priority for me, as are upgrades to plates I already have. 

Maryland plates dated 1910 to 1953

Maryland plates dated 1954 to 1956

Maryland plates dated 1957 to 1964

Maryland plates dated 1965 to 1970

Maryland plates dated 1971, with or without stickers 1972 to 1975

1975 Maryland bus

Maryland  red-on-white  plates, undated (1976 and government vehicle plates), or stickered 1977 to 1980

1980 Maryland dump truck plate

Maryland painted  black-on-white  plates, undated (1981 and government vehicle plates), or stickered 1982 to 1993

1992 Maryland fleet trailer

Maryland reflective  black-on-white  plates, dated 1984 (350th Anniversary), undated (front plates and government plates), or stickered 1986 to present

2008 Maryland passenger car
(plate in actual use)
2009 Maryland apportioned bus
(plate in actual use)

Maryland graphic War of 1812 plates, undated (front plates), or stickered 2010 to present

Maryland sample
(Ellis photo of plate in
actual use)

Maryland graphic plates with the state flag along the bottom edge, undated (front plates), or stickered 2016 or later

2018 Maryland vanity
(plate in actual use)

Maryland alternate design special interest plates from various years

2015 Maryland "Our Farms" trailer
(plate in actual use)
2014 Maryland "1910 Vintage" passenger
(Crum photo and plate)

Maryland alternate design plates used on law enforcement vehicles, fire and rescue apparatus, and other government vehicles, from various years

Other Maryland license plate-related items

Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota

Nothing needed unless it's free. 

Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina

Nothing needed unless it's free. 

North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania

Years that are underlined and/or clickable are those for which I already have a plate, but want to find one in better condition.  Clicking the year will show you the one I've already got, so you can judge whether yours is better than mine or not.  If the year is underlined but not clickable, I don't have a photo available of the plate in my collection. 

Pennsylvania plates dated 1906 to 1923

Pennsylvania plates dated 1924 to 1933

Note:  1924 to 1933 plates, with a few exceptions, provided no way to distinguish between plate types other than the plate numbering format.  It's fairly complicated to explain which format corresponded to which plate type, so I'll mostly just try to describe the numbering formats I want. 

Pennsylvania plates dated 1934 to 1957

Pennsylvania  blue background  plates dated and/or stickered 1958 to 1967

1961 Pennsylvania bus

Pennsylvania painted  yellow background  plates, undated (1965), or dated and/or stickered 1966 to 1971

1966 Pennsylvania tractor

Pennsylvania  blue background  plates dated and/or stickered 1971 to 1977

Pennsylvania reflective  yellow background  plates, undated (1977 or 1978), or dated and/or stickered 1972 to 2000

1979 Pennsylvania passenger car
1977 Pennsylvania omnibus

Pennsylvania  blue background  plates stickered 1984 to 2002

1992 Pennsylvania handicapped
(plate owner not identified)
2000 Pennsylvania repair/service towing

Note:  I'm much more interested in real license plates for all of these types, rather than samples. 

Pennsylvania tri-color (blue, white, yellow bands) plates circa 2000 to present

2013 Pennsylvania apportioned bus
(plate in actual use)
undated Pennsylvania antique historic vehicle
(plate in actual use)

Note:  I'm much more interested in real license plates for all of these types, rather than samples. 

Pennsylvania undated and/or non-standard plates from various years

Note:  I'm much more interested in real license plates for all of these types, rather than samples, souvenir plates, reproductions, or blanks. 

Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington (state)
Washington, D.C.

(See District of Columbia, above.) 

West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Outlying U.S. territories
American Samoa
Canal Zone
Guam
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
Other countries
Canada
Nigeria

If you think you've got a plate that I might want

Have license plates you'd just like to just get rid of?

I love getting free license plates!  Free ones don't have to be on my want list or in any particular condition; I'll gladly take whatever you have.  Obviously, totally free plates are the best, but I don't mind paying shipping costs or traveling to pick up free plates, assuming of course that it's worthwhile to do so.  For example, it doesn't make sense for me to reimburse you for the $5 it might cost you to mail me a single plate, or to burn a gallon of gas to pick up a single plate locally, if I don't need it for my own collection and it's only worth $3.  But send me an e-mail and let me know what you have and where you're located, and I'll see if there's any way to make it work for both of us.  I live and work in the greater Raleigh, North Carolina area. 

Want to trade license plates?

I'm always interested in working out a trade if possible.  However, for it to be worthwhile for both of us, you've got to find something in my trade box that you can use, and you also have to have something that I want.  I'm really not interested in trading to acquire plates that aren't on my want list. 

Have one or more plates you'd like to sell?

Mostly, I'm just interested in buying plates that are on my want list.  However, my willingness to buy will vary, depending on the condition and price of the plate, how much money I have in my license plate budget at the time, and how high of a priority acquiring that particular plate is for me.  Please realize that I have a rather limited budget, and so I'm not necessarily able to actually buy some of the more valuable plates listed at any given time.  Nor would I probably be able to buy large numbers of reasonably priced plates all at once.  But if you have something that's on my list that you're willing to part with, try me, I might just be interested. 

Sometimes I will buy a group of plates that includes some plates I want and some that I don't.  Very occassionally, I might buy a group of plates that contains nothing I want for my collection.  In such cases, however, I'll only even considering buying them if I can get them for a very good price. 

Please also read the Face-to-face transactions and Long-distance transactions sections below, as applicable. 

If you have plates that you would like me to help you sell, that's an entirely different conversation.  In that case, please send me an e-mail with specifics.  Let me know the approximate quantity, age, and condition of the plates, and what state(s) they may be mostly from; please also give me a general idea where the plates are presently located. 

Face-to-face transactions

I live and work in the greater Raleigh, North Carolina area.  I also periodically drive to the Baltimore, Maryland area, so if you're located anywhere reasonably between those two cities and aren't in a hurry, we might be able to meet the next time I pass through.  I also usually drive to the St. Louis, Missouri area a couple of times per year, so if you live near there, the same applies.  Or, if you're going to be at a license plate collectors' event in the mid-Atlantic or southeastern U.S., I might also be planning to attend the same event. 

Doing business in person offers some advantages if it's at all practical.  If neither of us have to go too far out of our way, one or both of us can save money by not having to pay for postage, PayPal fees, etc.  There are no worries of plates getting lost or damaged in the mail.  I get to physically see the plates before we finalize the deal, and you can either see the plates you're getting in trade, or get paid in cash.  There's no risk of only one of us holding up our end of the deal.  For these reasons, I'm much more willing to buy from or trade with someone I don't know if we can do it in person. 

Long-distance transactions

I don't buy or trade long distance with just anyone.  Frankly, I'm not going to just mail a check to someone I've never heard of, and hope that they will send me the license plate they say they have. 

In order for me to trade with you or buy from you via mail, you need to be someone I can implicitly trust.  Therefore, you need to be either someone I know personally, a fellow ALPCA member, someone otherwise well-known and respected in the license plate collecting community, or an eBay seller with a nearly perfect feedback percentage.  If the only criteria you meet is that you're an eBay seller, then the transaction would need to be done through eBay. 

If you don't meet any of the critiera above, and you don't live in a place where we could arrange to meet, then it still might not be out of the question.  I do travel to other places besides Baltimore and St. Louis on occasion.  Also, I know people all over the U.S. and in a number of other countries.  If you're reasonably close to one of them, I might be able to have that person handle the transaction on my behalf. 

If we're trading, and the trade is roughly balanced in terms of number of plates, then you pay to mail yours to me, and I'll pay to mail mine to you.  If the trade isn't balanced, then we'll need to work something else out with regard to postage.  If I'm buying from you, I'll pay actual postage plus a reasonable handling charge, if any, for plates I buy.  If at all possible, I prefer cheap and slow shipping over expensive and fast shipping.  For postage calcultion purposes, my zip code is 27527. 

Contact me

If after reading all of this, you still think you've got a plate or a group of plates that I might be interesed in, please contact me via e-mail and let me know what you have in mind.  Please clarify whether you're offering me free plates, want to sell plates to me, want my help in selling your plates, or want to trade plates with me.  If you want to sell me your plates, it would be very helpful if you would indicate how much you're asking for them.  For anything other than free plates, if you possibly can, please attach to the e-mail a digital photo or two of the plates you'd like me to consider.  In any case, please give me a general idea of where you're located – your state, your metropolitan area, or whatever. 

Related links

Page credits

Thanks to those who have directly contributed to the information on this page:  Paul Casadonte, Sergio La Camera, Randy Babcock, Kenneth Best, Greg Crum, and Rick Klein. 

La Camera, Sells, Babcock, Best, Crum, and Klein photographs are presumed to be copyrighted by Sergio La Camera, Mike Sells, Randy Babcock, Kenneth Best, Greg Crum, and Rick Klein, respectively, and are used with permission.  Casadonte, Harris, and Vander Heide plates are from the collections of Paul Casadonte, Buddy Harris, and Lee Vander Heide, respectively. 


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