# Custom Licence Plates — Seen in the Wild **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2023, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965 "2023-11-11T02:25:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 84
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1661 "2025-08-11T11:53:33Z")
I put that plate into [this license plate look up site](https://www.vinaudit.com/) and it spit out the VIN for a 2022 Aston Martin Lagonda Limited. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1662 "2025-08-11T13:16:06Z")
By fake I did not necessarily mean the ID on the plate, “SAFETY”, was fraudulent. I meant that the physical plate is an aftermarket copy of the real thing. Which are getting increasingly common. Illegal most everywhere, but common. Folks with fancy cars don’t want to display the same boring plate as ordinary people. So plates with other colors or fonts or … are out there. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1663 "2025-08-11T13:31:10Z")
I have no doubt that fake copies of legit plates are out there, but what makes you think this example is fake? It looks the same as my wife’s new vanity plates that arrived in the mail this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1664 "2025-08-11T13:44:33Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > It looks the same as my wife’s new vanity plates that arrived in the mail this weekend. And, if it is a fake (but correct) plate, that otherwise looks the same as a real plate, what’s the point of using a fake one on the first place? If you’re not even doing it to, as LSLGuy said, change the look of the plate itself with a different font or colors, you’re taking the risk of getting fined or having your car towed away, and for what? It seems to me that’s like getting a fake ID that’s identical to a real id and populated with entirely correct information. It would work exactly the same but it’s just asking for trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1665 "2025-08-11T14:15:28Z")
What about this plate looks fake to you? My neighbor has a Mercedes Sport Coupe with cryptic vanity plates (his and his wife’s initials) and it looks identical to this except of course for the registration number itself. Vanity plates do not have an expiration month permanently painted in the top left, they all expire on the same date every year (Nov 30, I believe) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1666 "2025-08-11T14:33:58Z")
The MA plates I’ve seen around here have a different and smaller font. Or at least that’s what I think I remember. Since you folks in / near MA say it looks like a regular plate to you, I’ll gladly defer to your superior knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1667 "2025-08-11T15:21:24Z")
Looks the same height as my car’s. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1668 "2025-08-11T15:31:37Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Folks with fancy cars don’t want to display the same boring plate as ordinary people. A couple of months ago, while waiting at an intersection, I saw a car waiting at another leg of that intersection where the front plate looked like it had been bent to match the contour of the car’s bumper. As the car drove past me, I realized that, no, the plate hadn’t been bent, there was a _painted image_ of the plate on the front bumper. I wish I was faster with my camera to get a pic. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1669 "2025-08-11T16:44:26Z")
I don’t know where you are, but … That’s a legal thing in CA for front plates only. They’re aftermarket vinyl stickers. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1670 "2025-08-11T17:00:23Z")
I just saw two while walking through the parking area of a generic tilt-up concrete business center. One read **TRUCCO**. Might be a person’s name, might be “Truc(something) Co(mpany).” I did not see a business name like that, but I didn’t do an exhaustive search either. The other was much more interesting. Generic FL plate on a generic Hyundai SUV thing with darkly tinted windows. It says **GAMI⎵SU**. I decided to take a pic so I didn’t forget it. So I whip out my camera, shoot the shot, and just then the car starts. Oh shit, there was a driver in the car and they saw me! I hope they’re not pissed. Guy hops out of the car. 40-something, graying goatee, chinos, loafers, & a polo shirt with the company name on it. “Can I help you?” Not hostile, not exactly friendly; mostly curious. I say, “Hi. I collect interesting license plates. Yours is a real headscratcher.” He says “Yeah, it’s pretty tricky.” I start to disengage before things get weird. He says “You want to know what it means?” I say “Sure.” He points at me and says deadpan “Fuck you [pregnant pause] in Greek” He’s got a big smile on his face by now; I must have looked worried. Anyhow we get to talking. He’s a sales dude for a water softener company. He’s ethnically Greek. He has 6 youngish nieces and nephews and he realized their first name initials could anagram to “GAMI SU”. So he ordered the plate half expecting DMV to reject it. They did not. He tells the niblings the plate is all about them. So far they haven’t figured it out. At least not that they’re telling Uncle. He said he could always recognize a fellow Greek because they got his joke. I told him about my Mom and the court reporter with the plate that also read “fuck you” but in machine shorthand. He liked that story too. If my car had been parked closer I’d have shown him my headscratcher in exchange. And now you know … The rest of the story(ies) ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1671 "2025-08-11T18:10:01Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > That’s a legal thing in CA for front plates only. Not to be argumentative, but do you have a cite for that? I’m in CA. Many (MANY) years ago I was cited for not having a front plate, so I did a lot of research into it to see if I could fight it successfully (I concluded I could not, so I sucked up and complied with the fix-it). I don’t recall any provisions allowing for facsimile plates on the front. [I guess I _am_ being argumentative, but I’m not trying to be difficult, I promise.] ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1672 "2025-08-11T18:19:13Z")
No worries about argumentative; you’re not. It was first brought up earlier in this thread starting around here and running for a few posts: > [@Custom Licence Plates — Seen in the Wild](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1569): > > California now has PINK license plates? [[image] ](https://i.imgur.com/fxsRgG4.jpeg) No. I asked her. They can wrap license plates now. I wonder if, or when, this might be declared illegal. I mean, white on light pink might be colors determined to not have enough contrast. [[image] ](https://i.imgur.com/uDQ6ufJ.jpeg) Which then spawned this thread I started: > [@Aftermarket License Plates Displayed on Car as if Real](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aftermarket-license-plates-displayed-on-car-as-if-real/1020504): > > Continuing the discussion from [Custom Licence Plates — Seen in the Wild](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965): It has become increasingly stylish around here (South FL) to put completely aftermarket AKA fake license plates on the back of your car. Folks may (or may not) be putting the actual ID letters/numbers from their real plate, but the plates themselves and their backgrounds are most definitely NOT something put out by the state of FL. These aren’t like SovCit plates, actively advertising their illegality and thumbing their … Which thread includes this cite: > [@Aftermarket License Plates Displayed on Car as if Real](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aftermarket-license-plates-displayed-on-car-as-if-real/1020504/15): > > They are legal in California if you use your actual license number and they comply in other ways like certain fonts. People get vinyl stickers on the front and/or back because they like the look better. to these folks: > **[License Plate Wrap](https://licenseplatewrap.com/)** > > Working directly with DMV and CHP > of Sacramento since 2014 There’s a bunch of interesting discussion in that other thread you might find enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1673 "2025-08-11T18:26:08Z")
Yep, that’s exactly how it looked, except a black “plate” on a black car. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1674 "2025-08-11T18:44:16Z")
I grew up in SoCal. I too got a fixit ticket for no front plate. But that was ~1980, so not real indicative of present practice. 😉 It seems these unofficial front plates have been permitted by statute for just a few years. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1675 "2025-08-12T22:27:30Z")
Today I saw **OIL? LOL** on a white Tesla. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2025, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1676 "2025-08-12T23:49:42Z")
Saw one this morning that I had to think about for a minute. At first I wasn’t sure if the plate actually meant anything because it looked like a random jumble of letters and numbers. But then I realized it had too many characters for a standard plate. **BRS54FN** Someone is a Brian Urlacher fan… ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1677 "2025-08-13T01:34:39Z")
Continuing on the sports theme **BO&SOX** ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1678 "2025-08-14T07:21:29Z")
On a BMW i3: **EYE3** One of the easier ones to figure out. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1679 "2025-08-14T11:00:13Z")
I really can’t argue with **H8N⎵ONE** and although I did not see the Minivan driving I highly doubt it could get enough speed to be a **M1N1⎵UFO** (also rather generic looking one at that). I have heard about a 3-way, but a **4-WAY** is not something I am familiar with, maybe they are just really proud they know the rules of 4-way stops? `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/1680 "2025-08-14T13:47:09Z")
**SHRMPY** on a blue Ford Mustang. Not sure I’d want to advertise that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=83) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=85)