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1962 Alaska License Plate #78798 with Genuine 1964 Sample Sticker

$ 15.81

Availability: 100 in stock
  • State: Alaska
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
  • Modified Item: No
  • Condition: Condition of this plate is excellent but not mint.

    Description

    Is this a sample(?) license plate that was a display item in that state's DMV offices?  Obviously this is a nice used plate, but clearly is wearing a "SAMPLE" sticker.  So, did Alaska do that?  Or did they have an employee of the DMV office bring in an expired plate, affix a sample sticker to it and hang it up on the wall at the DMV?  The evidence shows how non-weathered this plate is, and the lower mounting holes show that they used a washer with a screw and, perhaps, fastened it to the wall inside that local office.  Plausible?
    We got an answer from a sharp-eyed member of ALPCA and here is what he had to say to correct the record.  I ALWAYS welcome details like this on a listing where I don't have the right idea about "why" something happened.  I am also a member of both ALPCA and MLPCA--the Michigan branch of the National Club.   Historical accuracy is the #1 goal:
    Hello, my name is Joel K., from the ALPCA (Automobile License Plate Collectors Association), and unfortunately, this Alaska plate is not a sample plate. Years ago, someone put a 1964 sample sticker on it, and the sample sticker looks authentic, but the plate itself is just a regular issue Alaska passenger plate from that time period. Plate number 78797 would have been issued right before it, and then plate number 78799 would have been issued right after it. I have 1962/64 Alaska passenger plate # 73387 in my collection. Very strange that someone put a sample sticker on a regular plate! I also have a 1962/64 Alaska sample plate, and it has all "zeros" on it. It is "00000". As far as I know, the only Alaska sample plates of this time period had 5 or 6 zeros on them. I can send you a photo if you need to see it. If I had this plate in my collection, I would carefully take the sample sticker off, and put a regular 1964 Alaska sticker on it. Take Care! -Joel K
    So there you have it.  However, it's very possible that the local office ran out of "00000" sample plates by 1964 and that office simply pulled a plate from stock and put on a new 1964 sample sticker and put it up on the wall in the Department of Motor Vehicles for customers to see as an example.  Notice that the original plate in '62 had two slots stamped in it, intending for a metal tab to be installed for the expiration year.  But the DMV decided later to issue a vinyl sticker in 1964 instead.  So, I wouldn't remove that sticker, but display it as an oddity.
    Condition of this plate is
    excellent but not mint.
    Buyer is responsible for all shipping costs.  S&H in the USA is only .95, shipped in a stiff envelope.
    NOTE: I notice lately that when multiple orders are made from my store, Ebay stacks up all the individual postage costs and customers are paying it.  I have made a practice of refunding all that extra postage back to the customer's Paypal account and doing it 3 times a week.
    We guarantee the description of all items we sell.
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