SAN DIEGO — When I was a boy, I was a determined stamp collector. But as I grew older, I became disillusioned. Countries were issuing so many stamps, it was impossible to keep up. They didn’t print them for their internal postage needs, they did it to make money off philatelists. Disappointed that many stamps had nothing to do with their countries, but seemed to exploit such popular passions as Disney characters and movie stars, I gave up stamp collecting, although I still cut stamps from envelopes, so that a friend of mine, who is a collector, can have them.
In the place of stamp collecting, as an adult, I have taken up the hobby of collecting pictures of license plates from throughout the United States and even from other countries. For Chanukah, I can send them as email attachments to friends who similarly enjoy the hobby, and vice versa. There are many ways to collect license plate pictures; by state, of course; or by special topics, like breast cancer awareness; honoring veterans and first responders; calls for environmental awareness; and the list goes on.
One of my favorite topicals involves the slogans and nicknames with which the various states identify themselves. For example, there’s “Sweet Home Alabama;” “The Last Frontier” (Alaska); “The Grand Canyon State” (Arizona), “The Natural State” (Arkansas) and so on through the alphabet of our 50 states.
My license plate collection identifies “The Sunshine State”; “The Peach State;” “The Aloha State,” “Famous Potatoes;” “The Land of Lincoln: and “Unbridled Spirit” as either a nickname or slogan for respectively Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois and Kentucky.
Louisiana introduces itself as “The Sportsman’s Paradise;” Maine as “Vacationland;” Massachusetts as embodying the “Spirit of America.” Minnesota has “10,000 Lakes;” Montana is “Big Sky Country;” Nevada is the “Silver State;” New Hampshire implores us to “Live Free or Die;” New Jersey is the “Garden State;” New Mexico is the “Land of Enchantment;” and New York is the “Empire State.”
North Carolina is “First in Flight” while Ohio is the “Birthplace of Aviation.” In North Dakota we are urged to “Discover the Spirit,” and Oklahoma celebrates “Native America.” South Carolina declares “While I Breathe I’m Free;” South Dakota, home of Mt. Rushmore, advertises itself for “Great Faces, Great Places.” Tennessee is the “Volunteer State;” Texas is the “Lone Star State;” in Utah one lives “Life Elevated;” Vermont is the ‘Green Mountain State”; “Virginia is for Lovers;” Washington is the “Evergreen State;” West Virginia is “Wild, Wonderful;” and Wisconsin is “America’s Dairyland.”
I know that California, my home state, is the “Golden State,” but I haven’t found that yet on a license plate, although I have seen specialty plates with palm trees and an ocean sunset;” a diving whale that urges us to “Protect Our Coast and Ocean” and another calling on us to “Protect Lake Tahoe” and yet another for “Yosemite National Park.”
Washington D.C.’s license plate, in a reference to the nation capital’s desire for the full rights of statehood, reminds us of the Revolutionary War slogan “Taxation Without Representation [Is Tyranny}.”
I don’t know how many readers will find themselves attracted to this hobby, but I can recommend it as being both interesting and inexpensive. Many, if not most, of us own cellphones or digital cameras. All you need to do is spot a license plate, click, and add another to your collection. License plates are public documents, so there’s no reason to worry about who owns the car to which they are attached. For the purpose of a license plate collection, such ownership is irrelevant.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewihworld.com
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