Auction #9 - October 2021
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/24/2021
From the consignor....
This is an extraordinarily difficult set to complete card by card. In twenty years of
collecting, I am aware of only three complete sets which have been assembled. There are two
such sets listed on the PSA Set Registry- but they are actually the same set, which merely
changed owners! Then there is this set, and one other I am aware of. Thus the opportunity to own
a full set, as presented in this lot, is rare, and may not be repeated for a long time.
The concept of the series is simple: on the fronts, show license plates from the 48 then-
existing states (plus Quebec and DC). On the backs, feature a car or “landmark” question and
some related color graphics. For fun, add a “scratch-off” coating to the backs of the cards. The
execution, however, makes this one of the most confusing series in non-sports cards.
There are 100 cards in the set; a license plate for each principality appears twice. Of
these, there are 50 cards (each for a unique principality) with a ”Landmark” question (related to
geography or industry) on the back. For some unknown reason, they are numbered 1-25 and 51-
75. There are also 50 cards (each for a unique principality) with a “Name that Car” question on
the back; they are numbered 26-50. For this to be possible, each numbered back 26-50 appears
with two different license plate fronts associated with it. Thus, there are only 25 unique “Name
That Car” questions, as opposed to 50 different “Landmark” questions.
Got that?
The “Name That Car” backs are by far the scarcer and are usually what impede
assembly of a full set. This set contains all the cards with those difficult backs. Grades vary from
VG to EX-MT, with the average approximately VG-EX+. Note that a truly high-grade set of this
series probably does not exist. The act of scratching off the back coating with a coin or other
object often damages the cards, reducing the technical grade substantially. Grading is really not
the issue with this series; just completing it is a major accomplishment. Notably, if you were to
grade this set at PSA and list it on the PSA Set Registry, it would be the #2 current set,
regardless of the grades!
Cards are stored in 10-pocket pages withina loose-leaf album.
Click above for larger image.