Massachusetts drivers are reviving a piece of the state’s visual past, and doing it with surprising enthusiasm.
The RMV’s “MA250” license plates, introduced to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, have sparked a wave of interest across the state. What began as a limited commemorative design has turned into a sought-after symbol, with drivers lining up to swap out their current plates for the red, white and blue look.
Over 71,000 people have been issued the plate on a passenger vehicle in Massachusetts and the RMV’s plate lottery saw over 44,000 people enter it. Applications close this Friday at 5 p.m.
But already last week, Gov. Maura Healey posted a video proclaiming it to be “the most popular specialty plate in state history.”
RMV Registrar Colleen Ogilvie says that the appeal comes from people wanting to express personality with their car, as well as an urge to show national pride.
The symbolism of the design — the number “1776” circled by stars — could help explain why the plate feels familiar. The circle of stars recalls Revolutionary-era imagery associated with early American flags, according to Ted Kaye, secretary of the North American Vexillological Association and compiler of guidebook “Good Flag, Bad Flag.”
Flags and license plates have a basic connection because they are both “constrained rectangles that represent place to its own people and to others,” according to Kaye. At times, flags make their ways onto license plates, such as with the New Mexico license plate
According to Kaye’s book, a good flag has the basic principles of simplicity, meaningful symbolism and two to three basic colors that contrast. A license plate may have a different purpose from a flag, but there is some overlap in design principles, according to Kaye.
Richard Dragon, a Massachusetts native and current Rhode Island resident, is a longtime member of the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association. He has been collecting license plates since he was a kid, a hobby the 62-year-old has kept with him his entire life. Dragon’s love for this particular collectibles-based hobby comes from the rich history behind the plates and the registration systems.
The anniversary plate surprised him because of how “dramatically different it is than anything else,” he said (albeit with some exceptions — Dragon cited the state’s 1967 plate).
Dragon believes that the contrast of the state name is particularly good on the plate, with its dark blue color, saying that as an effective license plate, it is “certainly very legible.” He believes the interest for the plate is mostly aesthetic.
The state’s first specialty plate was issued about 31 years ago and called the Environmental Trust, or what individuals may remember it as the “right whale plate,” with over 19,000 issued. The design was created in 1994 to raise awareness of investing in charitable organizations, violence, trust and protecting the ocean, according to Ogilvie. There was a second version of the plate released last year.
Even though the “right whale plate” is described as “wildly popular” by Ogilvie, after it came the Cape and Islands plate in 1996 with over 32,000 issued. The RMV has also seen an increase in plates about the Celtics, the Red Sox, and the Bruins when those teams are doing well, or “what is happening in the world” but nothing compares to the interest in the state’s 250 plate.
“I think that what has been very interesting to me is [the plate] is on all different types of cars,” said Ogilvie. “Whether it is a pickup truck, a passenger car, a sports car — all different socio-economic statuses.”
Kaye believes that it may act as a form of signaling “of what they support or what they’re interested in,” which is similar to flag use.
“I look at this license plate and I see people in Massachusetts saying, ‘I’m proud to be from a state that was part of the American Revolution,’” says Kaye. “‘We’re one of the first 13.’”
