Old license plates have no real legal value anymore, but to the craftsman and collector they do. People have been collecting license plates for years, probably since they were invented, as evidenced by the many license plate collages in roadside gas stations and antique car dealerships around the country. If you are looking for something interesting to do with old license plates, there is no shortage of solutions.

Collecting

Collecting license plates is one of the most common things to do with them. Collectors often hang the license plates on walls in their garages, or in the den. The license plates make an easy hanging piece of art, because they are multi-colored license plates from different states and each has mounting holes that can be used for hanging them. For instance, Vermont has a green license plate, while Pennsylvania used to have a yellow one. Many collectors hang on to the license plates for several years and hope that they will some day become antiques valued by other collectors.

Lamps

Another option is to make a lamp from your license plates. This is a craft project that involves some skill with metal working. A simple license plate lamp can be crafted from an existing lamp shade and lamp stand, however. Simply wire the license plates together around the circumference of the lamp shade, and apply a little bit of hot glue behind the edge of the license plate. This will help hold it in place. If you are more experienced, you can weld the license plates together into the shape of a lamp and mount it to a lamp post using an old lamp shade rack.

Other Crafts

More ideas include making serving trays from license plates. Since they are flat, they can be welded to the bottom of a metal tray with a MIG welder, or glued to a wooden tray with hot glue or metal and wood adhesive. Another option is to use wood screws to attach the license plates to the bottom or top of the serving tray. Another idea is to roll the license plate around a coffee can and then cut another into a disc shape and weld it to the bottom. This creates a license plate can. More ideas include license plate bookends, clocks and simple home decorations.

Source:

Kranzkrafts: License Plate Crafts

HGTV: License Plate Crafts

More Information:

Funinthemaking,net: License Plate Bookends