These Autumn Wonderland Michigan License Plates Aren’t Real – They Should Be

Michigan has recently allowed drivers to have much more variety in how they plate their vehicles with the return of the venerable Water-Winter Wonderland and Water Wonderland license plates (are they really intended to represent the University of Michigan and Michigan State?).

How about an 'Autumn Wonderland' license plate? They've never existed as an official release from the Michigan Secretary of State. Rather they were a design created by license plate collectors who devise a new souvenir design each year for their annual convention.

READ MORE: Want a Lower Number Michigan License Plate - Try This One Secretary of State Branch

The Michigan License Plate Collectors' Association is a group of plate enthusiasts. For 2014, the group crafted the autumnal-themed plate with vibrant orange leaves and the phrase Autumn Wonderland. These collector plates, which are obviously a limited run, pop up for sale on eBay on occasion.

The 2023 collector plate featured the Blue Water Bridge between Port Huron and Sarnia while the 2022 version paid homage to Isle Royale.

Here's a full look at that Autumn Plate:

The creativity displayed by the minds behind the plate collector group gives you a sense of what could be. While the state is prepping a return to the all-Black, Lake Superior Blue and Bicentennial plates, Michigan trails many other states in the variety of plating options available.

What is a certainty is license plate designs come and go - witness the recent passing of the Spectacular Peninsulas plate. So if you consider the license plate more than the utilitarian device on the rear of your ride, consider becoming a collector and diving into a world you may have never known anything about.