“TheDelaware3000.org” founder Jordan Irazabal announced today a major milestone in his 12-year endeavor to photo document the 3,000 lowest active Delaware tag numbers: The Final 100. Irazabal is seeking to find tag numbers 1-1000, C1-C1000, and PC1-PC1000, a task that, in this final stage, is proving to be quite difficult.
Irazabal says Carfax has helped him enormously, but it can only provide so much information. The thing that will help him find the Final 100 tags is networking. Many of these tags are on vehicles that get very little time on the road so Irazabal is counting on the idea that everyone knows everyone in Delaware.
Another challenge for the project is that Delaware allows “special tags”, such as Vanity, Volunteer Firefighter, Ducks Unlimited, and others. Those tags can be displayed in lieu of the number tag. The driver has the option of displaying either the number tag or the cover/special tag, Irazabal explained.
He started the Delaware 3000 project after tag number 6 was sold in 2008 for $675,000. Like many other people, Irazabal was amazed that there was a market for what he calls a flippin’ license plate.
Soon after he started taking pictures of the tags, Irazabal realized that nobody had ever photo-documented the lowest-numbered ones and set out to do so. Although his family found his new project strange at first, they soon joined in and started taking pictures themselves.
Even today, when he comes across a tag on the road he wonders what the history of the number is. The physical plate really has no value, but the number could have been in the same family for generations, could have been bequeathed by a neighbor, or could have been purchased at auction. You never know. Tag number 77 has been in the same family since 1929.
Irazabal is hoping that those out there with access to the remaining tags will email him at [email protected]
Everything totally anonymous and it’s a fun project, said Irazabal. I simply want an up-close photo of the tags.
