1913 St. Lucie County "FOR HIRE" License plate found metal detecting

[Petespockets55]

1913 St. Lucie County "FOR HIRE" License plate.
(Something a little different with ferrous toning for everyone to enjoy.)

This is only a "little" off-topic. LOL I got into metal detecting in 2018, have had a blast, and actually found some interesting items tied to the Spanish Platta (Silver) Fleet that went down locally in 1715.

About 5 weeks ago I was detecting a local river shore and found the license plate mentioned above. It took about 30 minutes of work to get the date and last plate number visible. After posting a thread on an MD site, I sent a thank you to the owner of a reference site for Florida License plates (scroll down to St. Lucie County) for making the site available. He forwarded my email to a collector who was very interested and made an offer which I accepted. That offer made this the most valuable item ($1000.00) I have found to date. The part that was most interesting to him was the "FOR HIRE" that was on the base of the plate. His previous "FOR HIRE" plate was 1916 I believe. This 1913 was the first year they were issued locally. The state didn't require plates for another 3-5(?) years. Henry Ford didn't ramp up his production until 1913 and that's what prompted the state to mandate plates.

The collector made the offer to grab people's attention so they would realize the value these old plates have and not throw them away.
As a collector of copper, I understood the desire to want to own a very early specimen. I was trying to imagine the Lincoln variety I'd be most willing to spend that kind of $ on and realized there are many of them.

Anyway, enjoy!
Before and after images.

[makecents]

That is crazy that the plate is in the condition it's still in! Maybe somewhere else for awhile, better conditions? Excellent find, Cliff and fantastic return! You, on more than one occasion, have made me want to return to metal detecting. Did it for a short time and then quit....

[hasfam]

Great story. Thanks for sharing. I also metal detect. It's a great hobby. Lots of fun, finds and stories. Dig it all.
Rock

[WaterSport]

Great when you can make money for buying coins!! Just kidding. My father-in-law had a complete California Plate collection going back to 1913. Its not worth a lot but interesting to look at.

Bob

[Petespockets55]

Thanks Jon. Probably in the same location all the time. It is porcelain coated which helped preserve it.
It can be frustrating at times with only finding pull tabs but I enjoy the online search for answers after the find as well.

Thanks Rock. "Dig it all" is right. "All metal" mode for me most of the time.

.... My father-in-law had a complete California Plate collection going back to 1913. Its not worth a lot but interesting to look at.

Bob

Like most hings, not worth a lot until heavy hitting collectors get involved. Then, look out.

[TPring]

Heh, keep digging...There may be an old car buried in the sand.

With the recent passing of my FIL, I could have taken his Mindlab(?) MD that he rarely used, but I didn't feel like spending a lot of time trying to figure out all the parts and where I could use it so [I think] the wife sold it for cheap. Kinda wish I would have taken the time now.

[Petespockets55]

Heh, keep digging...There may be an old car buried in the sand.

With the recent passing of my FIL, I could have taken his Mindlab(?) MD that he rarely used, but I didn't feel like spending a lot of time trying to figure out all the parts and where I could use it so [I think] the wife sold it for cheap. Kinda wish I would have taken the time now.

Sorry about him passing T.

Metal detecting is a history lesson just waiting to be discovered.
People getting one and then not using it much happens quite a bit. It's all about the number of hours one puts into it to learn the machine. Putting in the hours is sort of like hunting for varieties.

I'm kind of a Neanderthal when it comes to detecting. I just want to get out there and swing the coil. I need to learn the machine better (AT Max) so I can fine tune it.
Lots of advancements in technology make the hunting productive.

For those that like British humor, there is a series called "The Detectorist" (on Acorn) that uses lots of subtle British humor and play-on-words. Thoroughly enjoyed it and was disappointed it ended after three seasons. It uses humor about metal detecting as the premise but also on personalities and life in general. It starts out a little slow the first couple of episodes, so maybe go the the third or fourth episode and then double back to see it begin.

Anyway, I enjoy the surprise of the hunt when detecting or roll searching.

[hasfam]

I heard about that series but haven't checked it out yet. Thanks for the reminder. I've always loved metal detecting because it encompasses 2 other loves of mine. History and the hunt. After Tennessee got hit with an arctic blast over Christmas, I thought the detecting season was over for this year, but strangely enough, I got out yesterday for a few hours. It was a warm and beautiful day to swing the coil.

[Petespockets55]

I heard about that series but haven't checked it out yet. Thanks for the reminder. I've always loved metal detecting because it encompasses 2 other loves of mine. History and the hunt. After Tennessee got hit with an arctic blast over Christmas, I thought the detecting season was over for this year, but strangely enough, I got out yesterday for a few hours. It was a warm and beautiful day to swing the coil.

Cool beans Rock.

I have family in Lebannon. SE side of Nashville. I got up there a lot in 2021. Tried to detect a couple of times but nothing really serious.