Just two days ago, I realized that my car's license plates had expired the first of the month.

Ordinarily, I would have caught this as my birthday approaches...except the car I drive is actually licensed to renew on my WIFE's birthday...and though we observed it, I missed the significance.

When it dawned on me, I realized I had narrowly avoided a ticket ON OCT 1st, when a cop checked on me, pulled over along the roadway to take a cell phone call (It's illegal here to operate both a car and a cell phone at the same time.)

Today, half paying attention to the news, I hear that officials near Cleveland have held a press conference at the childhood home of the creator(s) of Superman....to announce a new license plate.

 

Apparantly, years of efforts to convince Ohio to introduce a variant license plate that celebrates the birthplace of Superman's creators has finally paid off.  The new plate sports the Superman S on the plate as well as your letters & numbers, and promotes that you're a comic fan!

 

I missed it by less than two days!  I bought my car's tags on Monday, and the plate was announced on Wednesday!  (I am sure that the supply was in the office of the BMV this week!)

 

Before I got terribly upset, I realized there might be a downside to having this plate:

 

1) IF you were speeding, or perhaps for some reason, DID NOT want to be identified easily, it'll be harder to hide that fact if Superman is emblazened on your plates. ("Uh, no, judge, I'm not the only one with a Superman S on my plate... I was never NEAR that bank robbery!")

2) IF you were hauling boxes of comics or collectibles to or from the mid-Ohio-Con, your parked vehicle MIGHT be easily identified as a target for smash and grab comic-addicts! (You never know...)

3) IF you were a Marvel Fanboy, you might never want to be caught DEAD, wearing a DC license plate! (Take it from one who knows...)

4) There's probably a premium to be paid, not only for the initial purchase of the plate, but probably upon each renewal, that is more than a standard, randomly generated plate in sequence... (This is true for most all vanity plates, despite the fact that they can mail new license tab stickers at a fraction of the cost of producing new plates!)

 

I'm certain there must be other pluses and minuses to taking this action to declare your love of comics... how many more can we come up with???

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  • 1936110276?profile=original

    According to an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the cost of the special license plate will be $20 in addition to the normal registration fee of $34.50, plus local taxes. About half of the $20 fee will go to the Siegel and Shuster Society for future projects. Anyone wanting to replace a current Ohio plate with a Superman plate will pay $20 plus an $11.75 plate-replacement fee and a $4.50 replacement sticker fee. It doesn't say if there is a yearly fee to renew it after the first year. If there is, I'm sure it will benefit the Siegel and Shuster Society, which can be checked out here. You don't have to be a Facebook member to view this.

    1936112265?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

    According to a couple of different newspapers in California, a Snoopy plate has been authorized by the legislature and the governor. California requires at least 7,500 pre-orders before a special plate is actually produced and provided to the public. They're talking $50 in this case. I think most of the yearly fee benefits all California museums. They already have over 9,000 applicants.

  • Neat!

    For now in Indiana, I'll just have to live with my Purdue plates.

  • Pennsylvania has quite a few vanity plate styles, but nothing like these. We're stuck with tigers (?), otters (or is it a beaver?), colleges and DARE.

    I'd really like one with Plastic Man, since Jack Cole was born here!

  • Here in Texas we don't have anything comic book oriented or anything like that, but we have a ton a vanity plates available. Colleges, Organizations (from 4-H to the YMCA). They even have special ones for trailer and motorcycles. Also, there is a company that is authorized to make their own plates as well.

    They also auction off vanity plate names I guess you would call them from time to time. Those sell for $1000s of dollars. Last month the plate 12THMAN sold for $115,000.

  • OK, Jack....now that Ohio has modeled the way to do it, start organizing your campaign...and get your other comics fans to help petition the state to include one.  Just make sure your figure is wearing a RED rubber suit on the plate, not a PURPLE one or BLUE one with a 4 on the chest, OK?



    Lumbering Jack (M'odd-R8-Tr) said:

    Pennsylvania has quite a few vanity plate styles, but nothing like these. We're stuck with tigers (?), otters (or is it a beaver?), colleges and DARE.

    I'd really like one with Plastic Man, since Jack Cole was born here!

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