Tulsa resident and license plate collector Gus Oliver recently designed a plate that he hopes will draw enough interest that the state of Oklahoma eventually will sell it to Route 66 enthusiasts and Tulsa boosters.
According to KOKI-TV in Tulsa, Oliver’s design incorporates the iconic Golden Driller statue in Tulsa and that city’s Route 66 Rising sculpture at Mingo Road and Admiral Place, both streets which were early Route 66 alignments.
Oliver has designed motorcycle plate and passenger vehicle plates incorporating his design.
He said he made the plates to show more support for the Tulsa community. The design for passenger vehicles is above; the motorcycle plate design is below.
For the state to produce the plate, Oliver has to receive 200 prepaid applications. If he doesn’t reach the 200, applicants will get their money back.
The cost of the plate is $15 each year plus a $5 mailing fee for the initial plate and $1.55 to mail the renewal sticker. The application, which contains instructions about applying for the plate, can be downloaded here.
Those who have questions can email Oliver at tulsatag@yahoo.com or call (918) 671-4653.
I asked Oliver in an email whether the license plate would benefit an organization. He replied;
“Unfortunately not. The cost is an additional $20 for fundraiser plates, and it gets more complicated getting a state agency to receive and disperse the funds. With a higher cost, it makes it more difficult to motivate people to spend the extra for a special plate. Therefore, I wanted to keep the cost low.
“I do want to make it clear that I receive absolutely zero of the proceeds and am spending my own money to make posters to put in various places to promote the tag. As the Best Plate Award Coordinator for the Automobilie License Plate Collectors Association, I feel I have a lot of insight in what makes a tag attractive and legible. Ironically, Oklahoma’s Monarch Butterfly license plate just won the Best Plate award for last year.”
In case you’re wondering, the Oklahoma Tax Commission for years has offered a Route 66 specialty plate among the dozens it stocks.
(Images of the Tulsa license plate designs courtesy of Gus Oliver)