Original Items: Only One Available. These are incredible war time produced license plates for vehicles. The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 ignited not only anger towards the enemy, it also sparked a wildfire of patriotism in every American in all corners of the country. As the war effort was kicked into overdrive, Americans did everything they could to remind each other why they were fighting and what could be lost. A prime example of these reminders are the 2 license plate toppers you are looking at here. Both are very patriotic in nature and design, both with the slogan “Remember Pearl Harbor”. In the early years of WWII how could you not remember Pearl Harbor?

Included in this lot are the following 2 items:

“Remember Pearl Harbor” License Plate Topper: This piece features a very patriotic motif of an American airplane flying over a red, white and blue banner with a cluster of white stars in front of a blue circular background. In the middle of the banner are the words “Remember Pearl Harbor”. It is made of a thin piece of sheet metal with 2 slots on the bottom so it could be attached to the top of your license plate on the front of a vehicle. The colors have faded in the past 80 years but the message is still very bright.

The plate is measured at the widest points and that is 10 x 4.5 inches.

Small ”Remember Pearl Harbor” License Plate Topper: This is a lovely topper which is “V For Victory” orientated. The poles on the flags are angled so that they appear in the shape of a “V” with REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR • • • — V”. During World War II, the opening motif of Beethoven's 5th Symphony became a powerful symbol for the Allied forces. The short-short-short-long rhythmic pattern corresponded in Morse code to the letter 'V' for Victory, which was an acknowledged symbol of the war effort, most famously made by Winston Churchill forming a 'V' with the first and second fingers of his raised right hand.

1945 New York License Plate With “V” Victory Corner Tab: During WWII there was a metal shortage, and the iron used in making license plates was needed to make the necessary tools for war. Scrap metal drives were a common sight in America during the war and many old license plates hanging on barn walls and garages went to the scrap heap to be recycled into jeeps, helmets, C-Ration cans and so on. The individual states themselves looked for ways to help conserve the natural resources (Gasoline, Rubber, Steel, Iron, etc.) for the war effort. One common method to save metal was to only make a single license plate and not issue pairs of plates. Later, instead of issuing a new plate every year, a new metal date tab was issued to attach over the previous year's plate. The next step was to only issue a sticker to affix to the inside of the automobiles windshield. States like California issued small corner plates, white with a “V” on them for Victory instead of using the stickers. Some states even started making plates out of soybean pulp and fiberboard. These soybean plates are like pressboard fiber. They were made by the thousands, but not too many survived due to animals eating them.

These are all in lovely condition with the expected wear and staining from being affixed to the fronts and rears of automobiles.

Comes more than ready for display.