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License Plate News

Started by Alex, February 04, 2010, 10:38:53 AM

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SP Cook

Quote from: mightyace on June 13, 2011, 03:22:15 PM
And the numerous college and pro plates.  And, yes, you can get an U of Alabama or U of Florida plate as well as UT!

This is another one I am conflicted on.  We in WV allow that, but only Virginia Tech and Penn State have enough takers to qualify.  Kentucky and Ohio will not do out-of-state college plates.  The Marshall alumni office gave the Ohio authorities notice that it could sell over 1000 but the local state represenative told them "it was all tied up between Ohio State and Notre Dame people" and would never happen.   Ohio state government is generally unresponsive to anything in SE Ohio.

The best solution seems to be what they do in NC.  They will do out-of-state and in-state private school alumni plates, but the school must grant their permission to use their trademarks without payment and the extra fee goes to the state university system.  So if you are in NC and buy a Georgia Tech alumni plate, you are funding UNC, NCSU, etc.

According to the alumni offices, one can get a Marshall plate in WV (of course), VA, MD, and PA, and a WVU plate in those state plus Delaware.


Michael in Philly

^^^I'm not clear how Notre Dame is different (in Ohio) than Marshall.  Except that it's actually farther from the state line.  Of course, Marshall doesn't have a national over-the-air network broadcasting all its football games.  [rolleyes]
RIP Dad 1924-2012.

mightyace

Here is a complete list of TN collegiate plates:
http://www.tn.gov/revenue/vehicle/licenseplates/collegiate/collegiate.htm

Notre Dame is not here but the Hokies are!
My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mightyace

I'm out of this F***KING PLACE!

Eth

I've been surprised on a few occasions how far away a state will issue a license plate for a particular university.  At my previous employer, I used to regularly see a car in the parking lot with a Florida State license plate issued by Virginia.

1995hoo

Quote from: Eth on June 14, 2011, 11:08:20 PM
I've been surprised on a few occasions how far away a state will issue a license plate for a particular university.  At my previous employer, I used to regularly see a car in the parking lot with a Florida State license plate issued by Virginia.

Virginia will issue almost anything if 350 people commit to buying the plate after it's approved by the General Assembly. I read an article about it a few years ago where they explained that they had already allowed enough plates that they were concerned that if they started denying some of them without a serious reason (such as a design being offensive or profane or the like) they'd start encountering First Amendment challenges. You might recall that Maryland encountered just that sort of thing when they initially refused to issue a Sons of Confederate Veterans plate that bore that organization's logo, which contains the Battle Flag. The state lost and had to issue the plate. The other thing is that Virginia basically views it as a way to make some money. Those university plates cost an extra $25 per year; if you want a personalized plate, that's $10 more on top of that. Some of the special plate designs aren't so expensive; I have the Jamestown design with the ship on both of my cars and those had a one-time $15 fee with half the money going to historic preservation. To me a one-time fee is quite different from an extra $25 per year!
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

mightyace

Tennessee's policy is similar.  The threshold here is 300, IIRC.  I don't recall of any being turned down yet in this state.
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I'm out of this F***KING PLACE!

roadfro

Nevada has a similar policy of allowing multiple types of specialized plates. Typically, the special plates are sponsored by some civic organization with a charitable cause. It used to be that only 250 people were needed within a certain period before the plate would be issued--with concerns over too many plate designs and not enough active registrations on specialty plates, the legislature increased the threshold to 1000 a few sessions ago. Most specialized plates attached to causes cost an extra $30 per year ($50 if personalized), with $20 of that going to the charitable cause.

Nevada only has the UNR and UNLV plates for colleges, with those extra funds raised for academic and athletic scholarships at the respective institution. I doubt there's enough interest in any other college plates currently.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

burgess87

Just got my NYS vehicle registration renewal in the mail.  It gave me 3 options:

1)  Straight renewal, keep my blue & white plates:  $55.50.
2)  Renewal, new blue & gold plates w/ new tag #:  $80.50.
3)  Renewal, new blue & gold plates w/ current tag #:  $100.50.

Yikes.

thenetwork

Here is the ultimate "gag me with a spoon" license plate story:

To preface, (IMHO) people who drive a Lexus are made to think they are above everyone else, like they are exempt from using turn signals (most don't).  Even their commercials with the stuffy snobbish spokesmen give that feel. 

Anyhoo, about 8-9 years ago, a local car dealership in Cleveland (Metro Lexus) somehow got the rights to a series of 1,000 "regular issue" Ohio state plates for those who bought Lexuses from them.  Each brand-new Lexus owner would then receive a license plate with XXX-LEX (the x's being numbers).

So these "holier than thou" luxury drivers (IMHO) pretty much got a "vanity" plate with a Metro Lexus plate frame surrounding it. 

From then on, I have always referred to those cars as Lexsuxes.

The Premier

Quote from: thenetwork on June 18, 2011, 02:54:47 PM
Anyhoo, about 8-9 years ago, a local car dealership in Cleveland (Metro Lexus) somehow got the rights to a series of 1,000 "regular issue" Ohio state plates for those who bought Lexuses from them.  Each brand-new Lexus owner would then receive a license plate with XXX-LEX (the x's being numbers).

Its actually LEX-XXXX. In Ohio, you have the first three letters, followed by four numbers.
Alex P. Dent

mightyace

^^^

At the moment, anyway.

In the past, Ohio used to alternate the letters and numbers between issues.  I have a few old plates from my time there that have the letters in front and in the back.
My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mightyace

I'm out of this F***KING PLACE!

architect77

Quote from: mightyace on June 20, 2011, 02:31:25 AM
^^^

At the moment, anyway.

In the past, Ohio used to alternate the letters and numbers between issues.  I have a few old plates from my time there that have the letters in front and in the back.
My friend asked one day," Why do Georgia tags sometimes start with letters (XXX-9999) and sometimes numbers (9999-XXX)?

I said, "Isn't it obvious? It doubles the possible combinations. A state will run out of plate numbers after about 25 years. North Carolina started using 7 digits (XXX-9999) in 1986 and is now down to the ZZZ-9999. But in NC you can keep your old plate when buying a new car. Here in Georgia the cars at a used car dealership  already have tags on them. So Georgia probably ran out of combinations much quicker forcing them to switch the letter-order.

In California, it's obvious that they took the started with the standard 6 digits (XXX-999) and added a number up front to get 9 times as many combinations (3XXX-9999).

A real collector's item.....About 10 years ago North Carolina issued plates with 8 digits and no dash. I only saw them in Eastern NC. They all started with "GTPXXXXX". I thought they looked kinda cool.

vtk

#87
Those license plate frames (all of them) need to go away.  They limit the space available for displaying a number.  Ohio's plates use a font narrow enough to fit 8 characters without a space (not that they issue 8-character plates) and it can be rather illegible, with many pairs of letters looking too similar.  The solution must be to use a wider, not-so-tall font and distribute the license plate number onto two lines.

[Edit: Okay, so that registration sticker doesn't convey/emphasize the right information. I'll have to fix it later.]
Wait, it's all Ohio? Always has been.

agentsteel53

the idea is a solid one; but the problem with that is that it de-emphasizes the Ohio-ness of the plate, and that would never pass political muster.
live from sunny San Diego.

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vtk

Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 20, 2011, 10:37:08 PM
the idea is a solid one; but the problem with that is that it de-emphasizes the Ohio-ness of the plate, and that would never pass political muster.

Yeah, I think I'm going to re-do it with the wheat field scene from the state seal.
Wait, it's all Ohio? Always has been.

Michael in Philly

I just wish Ohio would do the state name in a way that's legible from more than five feet away.

Also, does anyone else find annoying dealer frames that cover the state name (which is essential information, when you think about it, particularly with the proliferation of designs lately...I just saw something that I'm guessing was yet another special Florida design, but couldn't tell.)

See this post from Skyscraper City:  http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=79500392#post79500392
RIP Dad 1924-2012.

mightyace

Quote from: Michael in Philly on June 21, 2011, 09:14:25 AM
Also, does anyone else find annoying dealer frames that cover the state name (which is essential information, when you think about it, particularly with the proliferation of designs lately...

Yes, and that WOULD be an angle to make them illegal or at least make them comply with not blocking essential information.  And, making the plate illegal would mean that more stuff would get stuck on the car with the dealer info.  A co-worker I once knew successfully got the dealer name addons removed from his car after giving the dealer an ultimatum to either remove them or take something like $500 off the price for advertising the dealership.  :-D

Of course, there is nothing preventing the owner from removing the plate frame other than laziness.
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I'm out of this F***KING PLACE!

SP Cook

I really dislike Ohio's current plate.  This farm scene.  Its Ohio, people.  Clevleland, Youngstown, Toledo, Akron.  When I think of Ohio, I do not think "farm".  And the continuation of this pissing contest with NC about the Wright brothers.    Get over it.  Both NC and OH are big enough states that they can move on to touting some other aspect of their history.

corco

QuoteI really dislike Ohio's current plate.  This farm scene.  Its Ohio, people.  Clevleland, Youngstown, Toledo, Akron.  When I think of Ohio, I do not think "farm".  And the continuation of this pissing contest with NC about the Wright brothers.    Get over it.  Both NC and OH are big enough states that they can move on to touting some other aspect of their history.

I actually do think "farm" when I think Ohio (because I spent my summers as a kid on my grandfather's...farm!) but what makes the Ohio plate awful is that "farm" represents the entire central United States. The current Ohio plate could just as easily be a Kansas plate or an Iowa plate or an Indiana plate. The simple red white and blue "Heart of it All" plate from the late 80s/early 90s is the best Ohio issue I've been around for.

Michael in Philly

Quote from: SP Cook on June 22, 2011, 06:38:57 AM
I really dislike Ohio's current plate.  This farm scene.  Its Ohio, people.  Clevleland, Youngstown, Toledo, Akron.  When I think of Ohio, I do not think "farm".  And the continuation of this pissing contest with NC about the Wright brothers.    Get over it.  Both NC and OH are big enough states that they can move on to touting some other aspect of their history.

I just dislike it because it's so damn busy.  Plates are getting too artistic at the expense of legibility.  My favorite current, or recent, issues are:

My top favorite - the rest are in no particular order - is Tennessee.  The one with the sort of light-green background - not sure it's still being issued.  (SOME artistry is o.k.)

The previous (previous to the War of 1812 plates) Maryland issue, with the italic font and the state seal.

The Missouri one with the river graphic.

The Virginia that did not have "Virginia" in all caps.  The current New Jersey for the same reason.  I find that font choice simple and elegant.

The new New York, because it's retro and reminds me of the colors they were using when I was growing up (most of my relatives were on Staten Island - I see that plate and deep down imagine a hulking early-70s full-size car driven by one of my grandparents.)  The Colorado one that was used forever is good because it's a classic.  Vermont's good because you know it's a Vermont half a mile away.

NOT recent, but the California sunset design of the '80s may be an all-time favorite.

Let's see...
I dislike - nothing against these states, just their plates - the new Ohio (and I agree that it doesn't really work for, say, Cleveland), Mississippi (just a bit too colorful)...can't think of any others now; those overly-artsy plates just sort of leave me flat.

RIP Dad 1924-2012.

corco

Wyoming is still my favorite- even in the direct print era. Good mix of legibility and design, and the giant buckinghorse makes you know it's a Wyoming plate from a mile away.

tdindy88

Quote from: corco on June 22, 2011, 09:45:12 AM
QuoteI really dislike Ohio's current plate.  This farm scene.  Its Ohio, people.  Clevleland, Youngstown, Toledo, Akron.  When I think of Ohio, I do not think "farm".  And the continuation of this pissing contest with NC about the Wright brothers.    Get over it.  Both NC and OH are big enough states that they can move on to touting some other aspect of their history.

I actually do think "farm" when I think Ohio (because I spent my summers as a kid on my grandfather's...farm!) but what makes the Ohio plate awful is that "farm" represents the entire central United States. The current Ohio plate could just as easily be a Kansas plate or an Iowa plate or an Indiana plate. The simple red white and blue "Heart of it All" plate from the late 80s/early 90s is the best Ohio issue I've been around for.

Hell...the previous Indiana plate WAS a farm scene, which IMO was better than the current ones, despite having the state's web address. As for Ohio's current plate, I agree with a previous poster that the font for the state name is just too difficult to see from afar. The state name should not be in cursive writing.

vtk

I think the current Ohio plate (actually called "Beautiful Ohio") is pretty, but yeah, it's arguably not very representative of all of Ohio.

Geographically, Ohio is dominated by farms and forested hills.  Demographically, Ohio is mostly suburbs and post-war tract housing.

Hmm, maybe I can insert a distant skyline into the wheat field / sunrise scene from the state seal in my next two-line mockup.  (It wouldn't even be that far from reality, as I personally know of a place where corn fields can be seen in the foreground with, on a clear day, the Columbus skyline in the background -- and I'm not talking about OSU's west-campus agricultural fields.)  And, as I believe license plates should be above all functional, I'll make sure to keep the background elegant and the foreground contrasty.
Wait, it's all Ohio? Always has been.

agentsteel53

Quote from: vtk on June 22, 2011, 07:23:06 PMDemographically, Ohio is mostly suburbs and post-war tract housing.

not exactly something to celebrate.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

Hot Rod Hootenanny

Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 22, 2011, 07:28:21 PM
Quote from: vtk on June 22, 2011, 07:23:06 PMDemographically, Ohio is mostly suburbs and post-war tract housing.

not exactly something to celebrate.

So says he who lives in the ultimate post-war tract housing state.
Please, don't sue Alex & Andy over what I wrote above



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