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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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Stirling 2025
Eric Vettoretti and I teamed up for the Stirling antique Market this year, which we do by default unless other family commitments get in...
5 hours ago
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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