Super Bowl XVLII was played on February 2, 2014 between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos played in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) issued special commemorative license plates in conjunction with NJ Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). These plates were issued to vehicles working in and around the station on a temporary basis, the expired on February 12 . The plate above was issued to an East Rutherford Fire Department Engine which helped the NJSEA with fire and medical services during the Super Bowl. Some government bigwigs were issued these plates including the governor at the time Chris Christie!
Plates in Former NJ Governor Chris Christie's office
I want to keep this blog non-political, but this is too cool to pass up. This is an edited screenshot of the plates in former NJ Governor Chris Christie's Office. Since stepping down as NJ Governor, Christie has been a political commentator for various cable news shows and sometimes gives interviews from his office. I caught one such interview on TV and instantly spotted New Jersey License Plates on a shelf behind his shoulder. A search on YouTube brought numerous TV clips with Christie and the plates in the same position!! Well I found the best one and using the Windows Snip-it tool I managed to grab a screenshot. A little information about the plates. From left to right the first plate is a simple vanity US ATTY, Chris Christie was the Assistant US Attorney for New Jersey from January 2002 to December 2008 before he ran for governor in 2009. The plate in the middle is obstructed by two glass bottles, but from different pictures floating around the Internet I can tell it is the a personal Super Bowl XVLII license plate with his initials CJC. The #1 plate on the right is considered a prototype or may even be an error plate because if you notice closely it doesn't have the Garden State across the bottom of the pla te. Currently the governor usually travels in unmarked state police SUVs that run passenger plates. This is becoming a trend across the United States due to security concerns.
It seems you can find a Youtube channel for just about everything from reviews on the latest Apple products to the newest animal born at the local zoo. There are actually a handful I watch pretty regularly. Michael DeLucia has broad brought license plates into the podcast world with his series License Plate Laboratory From the first video he says he outlines the podcast which more like a conversation rather than a formatted interview. Which personally is a breath of fresh air.
Before Michael came along whenever license plate collectors are interviewed it's usually the same basic questions, "How did you get into license plate collecting?" or "What's your favorite plate?" and if the collector is an ALPCA member, the member has to go into what exactly IS ALPCA. Being an ALPCA member himself, he was assigned member #14817 in December of 2024, Michael breezes through the basic questions pretty quickly and gets what a member would ask another member if they first met at a license plate meet or even at the convention. I like that a lot better than hearing a collector's opinion on the most valuable plate out there. There are more to license plate stories than your favorite plate and how you found out about ALPCA! Michael has interviewed about forty ALPCA members ranging from the seasoned Ned Flynn. I want to highlight some of the discussions that demonstrate the array of collectors Michael has interviewed.
I first heard about the podcast out at the ALPCA Convention in Ft. Wayne Indiana and decided to look it up., Let me just back up a bit, my Facebook Page got hacked nearly a year ago so I am definitely not up-to-date with all the latest! I heard about this new license plate podcast that was making its way through the various groups. So I looked up the License Plate Laboratory YouTube Page, scrolled through to Ed Butler's(6661) Interview and immediately clicked on it! I found the conversation quite enjoyable and am, glad Ed gave a plug for the Garden State Re gion, which we have ran together for the last number of years
Then I listened when Michael talked to one of Ed's mentors, ALPCA veteran Steve Raiche,451 . Steve's love of history, not just of plates but of automotive history , was one of the my favorite episodes so far. Steve also went into the deeper history of ALPCA,most of which I heard over my thirty two years in the club. Whenever I talk to Steve I always learn som ething about ALPCA and plate collecting in general!
After listening to people I knew very well, I remember the feedback at the convention wasn't all positive, so I decided that the best thing to do was to listen to his first informal chat was with newer ALPCA member JR Ewing,,8363. To be honest JR wouldn't have been my first interview, but I understand that Michael uses the license plate groups on Facebook as a recruiting tool. JR and I have traded barbs a few times. Not over deals, over style. My first impression of JR when he started posting on Facebook is he got screwed on a deal right when he first started collecting and makes it his mission to educate other collectors, which is a good thing. He is the most cynical ALPCA member I have met outside Bill "Wit" Whitworth, ALPCA#1000. This has ruffled feathers of some most seasoned members and when they suggest to JR soften his approach, he accuses them of not looking out for other collectors.. This theme comes through in the interview. Now Michael agrees with JR's philosophy 100% and I can easily understand it. Admittedly during their discussion I agreed with a lot with what they were saying. JR is one of the most vocal plate collectors on Facebook so the choice was obvious! The thing is this is a theme through Michael's podcast and while I applauds looking out for one another, I'm concerned this will lead to a paranoia amongst less seasoned collectors that people are out to screw them.
Michael has brought a much needed new angle to plate collecting. His mixture of guests is diverse as the license plate hobby itself . There are many aspects to ALPCA and collecting in general that need to be discovered. Michael is doing his part to bring those stories to light and keep them alive. I will continue to support his efforts!!
On our way out to the ALPCA convention in Ft Wayne, IN, Clark Dean and I stopped by the N ational Construction Equipment Museum in Bolling Green, OH. Checking Jim Moini's website, the plate was issued between late 1990- early 1991 making the plate itself close to forty years old. I wonder how a New Jersey municipal plate survived a trip out to Ohio? People are always saying New Jersey is notorious for making people turn their license plates in after the plates expire so this is a real treat, especially way out in Ohio!!
