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Origin Plate

Origin Plates were common in Europe. They were placed on vehicles as a way to show other motorists where you were from. Different letters on the oval-shaped metal plate designated various countries. For instance "D" stood for Deutschland (Germany). In the image at left, a company uses the Origin Plate to promote their EMPI globe logo.

The brackets shown at left was designed to fit pre-1967 sedans and convertibles.

I was first attracted to the Euro Origin Plate look by some stickers offered at a local Pep Boys Automotive store. The stickers reminded me that I had seen Origin Plates before but never really understood what they were designed for. Origin plates looked unusual and appealed to me as some type of official insignia, such as a parking permit or diplomatic vehicle passport. Having found the stickers at Pep Boys, I picked them up thinking I would decide what to do with them later.

With some online research I discovered a little more about the meaning of Origin Plates and decided to actually order one. They cost more than I anticipated, but I finally placed on order with Jus' Bugs (www.jusbugs.com). The order for the plate and mounting bracket was $25.25 including shipping costs.

Ultimately, I wanted the initials of USA in the oval of the Origin Plate, not "D". I purchased some spray paint, covered what I did not want to paint with tape and put on a couple layers of spray paint. I considered hammering out the embossed "D", but decided that I would probably do more harm than good by doing so.

After the paint dried, I took some of the tape off and put a layer of Clear Coat over the entire sign. I purchased some indoor/outdoor 3-inch high letters from OfficeMax and carefully positioned USA in the center of the Origin Plate. I then sprayed a couple more coats of Clear Coat.

I considered later that it may have been wise to paint the Origin Plate black, put on the vinyl letters, then paint the sign again in white. When all was dry, I would have the letters in black by pealing off the vinyl letters. If the Origin Plate ever has to be cleaned up, I may do it that way next time around.

I wasn't sure where to place the Origin Plate so that it would look "official" without interfering with everyday use of the truck. I finally decided to mount it to the side of a hitch bracket. It required that I turn the Origin Plate upside down on the Origin Plate bracket, then mount the Origin Plate bracket upside down under the truck. I needed two holes. One was already where I needed it on the bracket, but a drilled a second one just where it needed to be.

I think the end result looks real nice and I expect it to stand out even at night. I hope it causes many people to look twice and question what the meaning of the plate has other than the USA initials.

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