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Collecting Ontario licence plates for 40 years
THE
BACK
BUMPER
2CENTS ARCHIVES
First started as "My 2 Cents" in 1997, I have written posts numbering into the hundreds. New posts arrive continually. Find an article by clicking the tag cloud below, or selecting a category, doing a search (see magnifying glass below on the right), or just scroll down to see the articles in chronological order.
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Rust In Peace
This summer, I found myself driving past a lot of rusty old vehicles. You know the type: They’re sitting in fields, behind bushes, or...
Nov 16, 2023
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Goodbye Bonfield
Four years ago, Eric Vettoretti and I decided to try the first edition of the Bonfield Automotive Flea Market. It was a fairly remote...
Jun 20, 2023
119 views
1 comment
Graveyards of Algoma
August is the month when I venture northward into Algoma District, as I do every summer. I lived the first half of my life there, so we...
Sep 2, 2022
132 views
0 comments
Swapping Belleville Rendezvous
Sometimes, when you get the call, you have to accept the charges. Such was the case this month for Dave Steckley, Eric Vettoretti, and...
Jul 31, 2022
135 views
0 comments
Vermontariodyssey
I spent a day road-tripping during the May long weekend to tie up a couple of plate-related loose ends. I originally conceived the...
May 23, 2022
145 views
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Plates in a Northern Town
I grew up in the small city of Sault Ste. Marie, in northeastern Ontario. “The Sault” is actually situated further west than any city in...
Aug 26, 2021
131 views
0 comments
Barrel of Plates
I’m coming up on 18 months of not having attended an in-person swap meet. The virtual swap meets are a reasonable substitute for now, but...
Apr 2, 2021
155 views
0 comments
Forest Junkyard
I have a recurring dream where I’ve wandered into a clearing in a forest. There’s an old shack nearby that hasn’t been touched by anyone...
Aug 27, 2020
213 views
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Plates in the Killaloe sunrise
Some years are great for collecting plates. For me, 2018 was a bonanza. But other years can be a bust. Collecting plates isn't a...
Aug 7, 2020
161 views
0 comments
Leavings in London / Bargains in Bothwell
I was already thinking about taking my son on a road trip, when I suddenly received a phone call from a guy named John in London. He was...
Aug 30, 2019
148 views
0 comments
Bonfield of Opportunity
Eric Vettoretti and I made some last-minute travel plans at the end of June so we could try out the new Bonfield Automotive Flea Market,...
Jun 23, 2019
268 views
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Barrie, Orillia, and the Midland of Nowhere
I decided to go to the #Barrie Automotive Flea Market again this spring after a three-year hiatus. I've always gone to the fall edition...
Jun 15, 2019
128 views
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The Long Road to Acton 2019
The best kind of road trip involves a proper balance of driving, nice weather, good food, laughs, and of course, finding licence plates...
May 6, 2019
308 views
0 comments
A blizzard of plates
No two Grimsby swap meets are the same. Each journey always leaves something unique by which I remember it. There was 2009, when a...
Nov 3, 2018
329 views
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Being a Boy in Barrie
15 years ago, or so, I brought my wife to the Barrie Automotive Flea Market. She figured it was just a weekend getaway of camping and...
Sep 15, 2018
172 views
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Harvest
August is my favourite month. It’s always been so, ever since I was a boy in Algoma District. The mosquitoes and blackflies finish their...
Sep 1, 2018
402 views
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Valley Forge 2018: Part 1 of 3
The 2018 ALPCA Convention at Valley Forge was my tenth since joining the club in 1995. It was quite a different experience than the...
Jul 17, 2018
207 views
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Lights-out in Lindsay (and everywhere else)
A mere five days after arriving home from our sojourn to Acton, Eric and I were at it again, although with a more mercenary mission, this...
Jun 7, 2018
151 views
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Amigos in Acton
I always know it’s been a great #Acton trip when I spend a week recovering before I have the energy to write about what a great trip it...
May 7, 2018
294 views
0 comments
Collectin' one plate at a time
I was waiting at the curb with my overnight bag and a small cardboard box. My skinny house stood warmly behind me, its light shining out...
Oct 30, 2017
252 views
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