Special plates are issued to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and to members of the state legislatures in most states. However, heightened security concerns in recent years have resulted in many elected officials no longer using these distinctive plates, as they do not wish to be a target or to stand out in traffic or a parking lot. Out of an abundance of caution, the U.S. Secret Service and Capitol Police discourage elected officials in our nation’s Capital from attaching these very distinctive plates to their personal vehicles.  
 
Plate collectors today who specialize in low numbers often see the plates they pursue selling for $100-$500 ea., or more, and values continue to increase, as they have become great investments – especially when they are paired with provenance. Governor’s No. 1 plates from the 1920s and ’30s can bring $1,000 to $2,000. Those vying for these plates are not limited to license plate collectors, but include those who specialize in pursuing political memorabilia. Most U.S. Presidential libraries include the license plates assigned to the presidential limousine or used by the President at his personal residence or winter retreat. 

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston proudly has on display D.C. Inaugural plate No. 1 from 1961, which adorned JFK’s limo on January 20, 1961. The pair of actual plates that were attached to President Kennedy’s open Lincoln on that fateful day in Dallas, Nov. 22, 1963 –  D.C. plates numbered “GG 300” – was sold Nov. 2015 for $100,000 to a presidential memorabilia collector. This remains the record ever paid for a collectible plate (with no rights to use).

Above and Left: The right to display this Delaware plate #6 sold at auction by Emmert Auction Associates in 2009 for $675,000 plus 10% buyer’s premium. It would be substantially more today.

​Low-number license plates initially were a status symbol that conveyed one’s standing as a pioneering automobilist, a person of wealth or political importance. Back when vehicle registration began, states began their numbering sequence by issuing plates from the lowest number, usually No. 1 on up. Today these early items, which once adorned Packards and Pierce-Arrows, are prized collectibles and highly sought after, earning them a welcome spot in the homes of serious history buffs and plate collectors alike. Internet sites such as eBay have provided a venue for those who find a rare or unique low-number plate in their garage or attic to offer it to collectors. Members of ALPCA hold local, regional and national conventions where desirable plates are bought, sold and/or traded. 

​Not only did political officeholders dispense low-number plates as rewards, they kept the really low-numbered ones for themselves. Others who were “gifted” with low numbers included fellow politicians, wealthy donors, those active in civic endeavors and those who promoted good roads and safer highways. ​

​One cannot adequately address this subject without noting the significance of Delaware and Massachusetts – by all accounts the two most plate-obsessed states in the union. License plates bearing low numbers in Delaware are today so prized that they are included in wills, as a family heirloom. Some of these come to market each year, and are openly sold (as liquor licenses are in many states), with motorists paying enormous sums for the privilege to attach one to their bumper. The right to display Delaware plate No. 6 sold at auction in 2009 for $675,000, plus a 10% buyer’s premium! Two-, three- and four-digit plates can command $5,000 to $400,000, meaning in many cases a Delaware low-digit plate can be worth far more than the vehicle to which it is attached.