Ever looked at a rusted piece of metal and seen a "Holy Grail"? For most folks, an old license plate is just garage wall decor or something they toss in the recycling bin. But for Wyoming license plate collector Collin Townsend, that rectangular slab of aluminum (or, in some rare cases, fiberboard) is a piece of living history.
Townsend isn't just picking up random plates at flea markets. He’s on a very specific, high-stakes mission. He wants two Weston County license plates from every single year they’ve been issued, stretching all the way back to 1914.
That’s over a century of metal. It's a lot of searching.
The Weston County Obsession
Collin Townsend grew up in Osage, a tiny spot in Weston County, and even though he lives in Salt Lake City now, his heart—and his collection—is firmly rooted in Wyoming. If you know anything about the Cowboy State, you know the county numbers. Weston County is County 21.
In Wyoming, your license plate number doesn't stay with the car; it stays with the person. It’s a point of pride. For Townsend, the number 158 is the family legacy. It was his grandfather’s draft number during World War II. Because his grandfather was an oil producer, he was exempt from service, but that number 158 became a family heirloom, passed down through the generations.
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Townsend has been at this for about 12 years. He’s currently sitting on a collection of roughly 1,000 plates. Think about that for a second. That is a massive amount of storage space. Most of his collection covers car and truck plates, and he’s remarkably close to his goal. He’s only missing two years for County 21.
Why 1945 is the "Holy Grail"
You might think the oldest plates are the hardest to find. Not necessarily. 1945 is the year that keeps collectors like Townsend up at night. During World War II, metal was a precious commodity. It was needed for the war effort—bullets, tanks, planes.
Wyoming actually asked people to turn their plates back in so they could be recycled into ammunition.
Finding a 1945 plate from a low-population area like Weston County is nearly impossible. Back then, the county had fewer than 5,000 residents. Most of those plates ended up as scrap metal or, as Townsend often points out, eaten by goats. Seriously. Wyoming goats and deer have a weird habit of chewing on plates, and the weather isn't much kinder.
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Recently, Townsend finally nabbed his 1945 County 21 plate. It wasn't just any plate; it came with the original wartime wrapper. He didn't even buy it with cash. He traded for it. He had some rare prison sample plates that another collector wanted, and they made a deal. That’s how the upper echelon of this hobby works. It’s all about the network.
The Science of the "Run"
In the collecting world, a "run" is a sequence. Townsend is doing a car and truck run. Other collectors, like John Stalick in Cody, might obsess over the number 11 because it looks cool. But for Townsend, it's about the completeness of the Weston County story.
He doesn't just want the plates; he wants the history. He’s got plates in shadow boxes, plates on walls, and plates in bins.
What makes a Wyoming plate special?
- The Bucking Horse: Wyoming was the first state to put a logo on a plate back in 1936.
- The County System: The 1-through-23 numbering system started in 1930, based on property valuation. Natrona is 1, Laramie is 2, and so on.
- Longevity: Most states change their designs constantly. Wyoming sticks to its guns, making those subtle year-to-year changes more significant to collectors.
How to Start Your Own Collection
If hearing about Collin Townsend makes you want to go dig through your grandfather's barn, you're not alone. But honestly, it’s a tough hobby to break into if you're looking for the rare stuff.
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First, you've gotta decide on your niche. Are you doing a "birth year" run? Are you looking for every county in a single year? Or are you like Townsend, focusing on one specific county for every year in existence?
Basically, you need to join the community. Organizations like the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association (ALPCA) are where the real trades happen. You won't find the 1945 Weston County "Holy Grail" on a random eBay listing most days. You find it by knowing a guy who knows a guy.
What’s Next for Townsend?
With only two plates left to complete his County 21 car and truck run, the hunt is getting narrower. It’s a "needle in a haystack" situation, but for a guy who’s spent over a decade tracking down metal scraps, the thrill is in the search.
He’s currently looking for those final pieces while continuing to maintain the family 158 legacy.
If you want to follow in his footsteps, start local. Check out the 2025 Wyoming series—which features the state flag—and keep your eyes peeled. You never know when a piece of "junk" might actually be the missing link in a century-old story.
To get serious about Wyoming plates, start by identifying the county codes on any old plates you find and cross-reference them with the Wyoming Department of Transportation historical records to see just how rare your find actually is.