Collecting Old License Plates

I was absolutely thrilled to add this 1906 St. Louis, Missouri porcelain license plate to my collection from the recent Lee Roy Hartung auction sold by Donley Auctions - Northern Illinois!

Even Fox News Fox2Now was excited for me -

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/rare-st-louis-license-plate-sells-for-8500-at-auction/

Have any early license plates for sale? I would love to hear from you!

Koby Vinokor
516-353-2440

Hindsight Antiques

I am extremely pleased with how well this 1910 South Dakota prestate license plate cleaned up! I purchased this plate in an eBay auction in July. The plate was absolutely filthy when it got to me and I’ve spent a lot of time carefully cleaning it up. A before cleaning photo can be seen in the comments below.

The construction of the plate is awesome - 2 leather pads sewn together with 2 different sized tack rivets used to spell out the number and state designation. The cleaning process was extremely time consuming due to the fragile nature of the plate and the delicate fastening of the rivets.

According to the South Dakota Historical Society records, #7485 was issued on September 29, 1910 to E.H. Wampler in Hecla, SD for use on a 10 Horsepower Cadillac. In 1910, Hecla - a rural border town with North Dakota - had a population of 462. As of 2020, Hecla is home to 162 people. The South Dakota prestate era began on May 4, 1905 and lasted until July 1, 1913.

In terms of provenance, my initial research tells me that this plate came into the hobby in the early 1950’s, likely acquired in the rough through extensive advertising by Tony Shupienus (ALPCA #369). Clarence Titus (ALPCA #50) purchased Tony’s collection in the late 1950’s. Vernon Streiffert (ALPCA #269) purchased Clarence’s collection in the mid 1960’s. In late 1971, Lee Roy Hartung (ALPCA #3003) obtained Vernon’s collection. The plate collected dust in Lee Roy’s cluttered warehouse until being sold by RM Auctions in 2011. The buyer of the plate held onto it (and another South Dakota leather) until auctioning both on eBay last month.

I am always looking to purchase or trade for early license plates to add to my collection!

Koby Vinokor
ALPCA #11725
516-353-2440

Lee and Penny Anderson’s dedication to correctly restoring this 1932 Duesenberg with its original parts that had been split up decades ago is a testament to provenance and preservation - something we as collectors can certainly appreciate.

Congratulations to a well deserved Best of Show win at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

1932 Duesenberg wins Pebble Beach Concours Best of Show, first for the marque in 15 years Chassis and body were separated for decades, but this 1932 Duesenberg J Figoni Sports Torpedo is whole once more—and a champion to boot.