Politics & Low-Number License Plates Part I

Sep/Oct 2021 edition
Issue #18 AutoMobilia Resource Magazine
Photos and story by Michael Wiener

I began collecting license plates in 1972, right after graduating high school and making my first cross-country trip. As an active member of the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association (ALPCA) for 49 years, I got hooked on collecting political plates, from the first time I observed low-number political plates during a visit to Washington, D.C. To me they are very unique. 

Photo by Jordan Irazabal.

Photo by Jordan Irazabal.

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. 

Above: RARE Early #1 Governor Plates: Various Early 1920s-1951 Governor license plates... including the Tallmadge brothers in Georgia and a Territory of Hawaii #1 plate issued there to the Governor prior to statehood. Photo by Michael Wiener.

Of course, anything coveted and derived from official governmental action is apt to be turned into a reward for political support. So, it was in the early part of the 20th century, that low-number license plates became a way for politicians to say “thank you” by conveying favored status to the holders of such plates in the eyes of the powers that be. Law enforcement was likely to think twice before ticketing a motorist displaying a low-numbered plate. 

Above: North Dakota has a unique approach to providing low numbers to their elected officials. Their Governor gets plates #1 and #5… while the state’s senior US Senator receives plate #2, the Junior US Senator gets plate #3 and the lone at-large Congressman is issued plate #4. The Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota receives plate #6. Photo by Michael Wiener.

Chris Matthews, in his 1988 book Hardball: How Politics Is Played, tells of a Democrat (Gaylord Nelson) who was elected as Wisconsin’s governor in 1958 thanks largely to donations from a wealthy Republican. On Inauguration Day the new Governor met with his rich benefactor, whom he asked if there was “anything” he wanted as payback. “Well, there is one thing, Governor,” the man is quoted as saying. “Do you think I could get one of those low-numbered license plates?” The low-numbered license plate symbolizes a connection with power and can be, to some, the ultimate ego boost.

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. ​​

​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.

Above: New Jersey unique political plate set featuring Brass State Seals: Here are many of the political plate types from the Garden State of New Jersey, complete with the rare brass seals issued to the Governor, Members of the US Senate and US Congress, as well as State Senate and State Assembly. Photo by Michael Wiener.

Above: Every type of Arkansas Political / Elected Official plates: #1 plate issued to the Governor, #2 for the Lt. Governor, Member of the US Senate, Members of Congress, and all types of legislative offices including the Senate President Pro Tem and House Speaker. Photo by Michael Wiener.

Above: Virginia complete set of all Political Plates: #1 plate issued to the Governor, “A” for the Governor’s wife (the only state to do so, #1A for the Lt. Governor, both U.S. Senators, Us Congressman, and for members of the State House of Delegates and State Senate. Photo by Michael Wiener.

New York low numbers / some Political Types: Some Rare and Historic plates from the Empire State. 1937 “NYC” was issued and used by NY City’s most famous Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, the 1951 #1 was used by Governor Thomas E. Dewey, 1963 #1 from Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, #4 and #5 were issued to former NY Governor’s after they left office. Photo by Michael Wiener.

Massachusetts drivers have had a strange obsession with low-number license plates from the very beginning, nearly 120 years ago, as a point of pride and to highlight their Bay State family lineage. Governor Michael Dukakis continued the trend of handing out low-number combinations to political supporters – until a week before he decided to run for President. Then he fired his Registrar of Motor Vehicles, Alan Mackey, for giving out low-number plates to friends and relatives and instituted a very popular Low Plate Lottery, where any Massachusetts motorist is now given an equal chance to get a low-numbered plate, bringing the political favoritism tradition to an end. 

Look for more political plates in Part II!             
                           
Michael Wiener

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