About

ABOUT ME

It all started with one plate...

About 30 years ago on a family trip from Ottawa, Ontario to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1992. I was 14 at the time and happened to stumble upon a neat statue of liberty New York license plate by the side of a hotel parking lot in Binghamton, NY. I thought to myself, what if I could collect one from each province and state for my wall at home? That's when my plate obsession began!

As is the case with most plate collectors, many of my family and friends thought I was a bit crazy to collect these pieces of tin that simply validated cars. But, I saw something that was interesting and thought that no one else in the world would ever collect license plates – how unique I thought. Little did I know there was an organization boasting over 10,000 past and active members dedicated to just this cause! After completing my Canadian-US run, I turned to my own home province of Ontario and am now well on my way to completing my passenger year of manufacture run, with only a rare 1903 leather plate left to go. To keep things interesting, I also collect most other varieties of Ontario plates made last century in addition to Canadian military plates.

I find most of my plates at flea markets, antique shops and garage sales. Since joining the Automobile License Plate Collectors Assoc. (ALPCA) in 2002, I’ve been able to connect with fellow Ontario members, which has helped fill in some hard to find plates, but has also fostered new friendships along the way. I have some great stories about finds over the years including a box full of Ontario diplomat plates found at a local garage sale, and some crown jewels such as a pair of 1939 doctor's plates and 1973 prototype plates with fellow ALPCA member Jon Upton.

This hobby is addictive to say the least and I don’t think I will ever stop. Whether it is a garage sale, flea market, scrap yard or cross-country trip, I will always be on the lookout for new finds and diamonds in the rough!