Collecting License Plates
Saturday Early Show's Collectibles Expert Tony Hyman, author of Trash or Treasure: Guide to Buyers, takes a look at collectible license plates.
The advent of custom and special license plates made for organizations such as the Knights of Columbus and Save the Whales has caused the hobby of license plate collecting to explode.
When the first auto licenses were issued in 1898, auto owners made their own plates of wood, tin or leather. Today, those are worth from $25 up.
States and cities soon began issuing official plates, often made of porcelain. Rarer ones bring $20 and up depending on how many of that type were issued and their condition. Low or interesting number combinations make any plate, even today's, more valuable.
In 1905, Vermont issued 900 plates, one of which recently sold for $8,000. Plate number "9" from the same year brought $14,000.
Embossed metal plates were standard after about 1915. Plates from states with few registrations like Alaska or Nevada bring a premium from any year, and even more if they're also from wet climates like Mississippi, Louisiana, or Alabama.
There are no simple rules for pricing license plates. Value depends on what it's made of, the number of cars registered that year, the condition, how well made and attractive they are and the number on the plate. Prices vary year by year, state by state, so before you nail'em to the barn wall, get expert advice.
For more on collectible license plates, Hyman recommends long time collector, international authority and dealer Andy Bernstein at andybnyork@aol.com.
Find out about other collectibles described by The Saturday Early Show's Tony Hyman in the Collectibles Archive or visit Tony Hyman's Web site.
If you think you have a collectible worth a lot of cash, send an email to sat@cbsnews.com with "What's It Worth?" in the subject line. Or write to "What's It Worth?" The Saturday Early Show, 514 West 57th St., 6th floor, New York, N.Y. 10019.