The start of the college basketball season and the impending U.Va.-Virginia Tech football game on Nov. 28 inspired us to examine those same rivalries in a different arena: license plates. Since its inception in 1992, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles’ revenue-sharing license plates have generated some $40.5 million for the commonwealth’s colleges and various nonprofits, and as lopsided as Virginia Tech’s wins over U.Va. on the gridiron have been lately, it turns out they’re just as dominant here. Which made us wonder about more license-plate rivalries, from opposing sides of various issues to actual wars. The results — with dollar totals from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014 — can be found below.
Virginia Tech: $269,550
University of Virginia: $100,590
VCU: $32,595
University of Richmond: $22,470
Friends of the Chesapeake: $278,490
Friends of Coal: $42,330
Peace: $45,855
150th Anniversary of the Civil War: $790
War of 1812: $225
Source: Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
Illustrations by Arnel Reynon
