License plates are where a number of interesting subjects come together: local history, automotive history, geography, politics, and in this case, the love of special or interesting numbers. Repeating numbers are one of my favorite things (I know I’m not the only person who has snapped a photo of a special odometer reading in the car), and these are some of the favorite repeating number license plates in my collection.

In many cases, being issued a license number such as these is luck of the draw, where somebody showed up in the registration line at just the right time. Other times, it’s the result of a vehicle owner taking the time and effort to solicit a specific number from the state licensing agency, either through a formal process or special connections.

I don’t know much of the backstory on any of these plates, but regardless of how the original owners obtained them for their cars, they were certainly loved enough to be saved.