New Antarctic License Plate

In the accompanying photograph, Lieutenant John J. Jaminet, (SC), USN, shows the novelty license plate which he designed and which has been manufactured by a Christchurch, New Zealand, advertising firm.

The plate combines various unique features of Antarctica and Operation DEEP FREEZE. The "SP" identifies the owner as a "resident" of the south polar land mass, the "90°" represents the latitude at the very bottom of the earth; the bird is, of course, the native Adelie penguin, and the slogan "The World's Last Frontier" represents the uniqueness of the last continent to undergo scientific exploration. Task Force 43, the Navy task force responsible for United States Antarctic operations, is represented to the right of "90°."

--from the Bulletin of the U. S. Antarctic Projects Officer (official U. S. Navy publication), volume V, No. 5, February 1964, p. 13.

No Antarctican should be without these important pieces of identification. After all, more than one of the Pole 1977 w/o's drove around the USA for months after our winter while displaying only these license plates. At left above is the original version; the other two are more recent editions featuring the Old Antarctic Explorers Association (OAEA) logo. All three of these, reproduced on metal, are available from Billy-Ace Baker ( upizauf at aol dot com ) for $25 each plus $5 shipping. is a more recent version that has been reproduced in vinyl. The original model, reproduced in vinyl, may still be available from Ron May ( RMay at gruhnmay dot com ) for $25.00 plus shipping (please check with these folks for current pricing).

The Antarctic Connection produced a version of this classic item (right), as well as customized license plate frames for the three current Antarctic stations, but unfortunately they are no longer in business.