“About Us” really means “about me.” I’m Jon Upton, ALPCA member 7135, and the owner and operator of Ontplates.com. I’ve been collecting Ontario license plates for over 30 years. I’m not sure how many plates I have in my collection anymore… enough to be a serious collector, but not enough to be a hoarder (I hope).
Ontplates.com is a registered small business and I’m its sole proprietor, which means that I alone acquire the plates, strip them, repair them and repaint them. I triple-check the numbers through the MTO beforehand, to eliminate the guesswork and risk on your part, since most numbers on old plates aren’t available. I build and maintain the website myself, answer all inquiries, keep track of the finances, and pay taxes on what I make. All plates have to be detailed by hand, so it can be a slow process– It takes an average of five man hours to restore each set of plates, and some of them spend months in my restoration queue before they move on to the next step. But the end product is a great set of plates that I know you’ll be able to register, and they’re backed by a no-nonsense, six-month written guarantee.
I don’t charge HST on my sales because I’m well below the minimum revenue threshold whereupon a business must collect sales tax. I make enough for my plate hobby to be self-funding, which is all I ever wanted in the first place. I’d rather talk you out of buying a pair that’s not in your best interest, than make a quick buck by aggressively pushing a sale. I get many referrals from happy customers. I used to own and drive a 1971 VW Super Beetle, which had its own set of registered 1971 plates. You can read more about that in its own section of this site.
I am always looking for old or unusual Ontario plates, whether they’re for my business, or for my collection. I like old military plates, samples, special issues, manufacturing errors, and other weird types that you don’t see every day. I also look for regular pairs that might one day be restored and posted for sale on this site. If you have something that you want to sell, why not use my contact form to send a message about it. I proudly operate The Back Bumper, my non-profit blog site about collecting Ontario license plates, which has been online continuously since 1997.
I work as a high school science teacher by day. When I’m not grading papers, I play pinball, restore plates, and spend quiet time with my wife and kids.
Thanks for visiting!