Texans Near $1.2M in Vanity Plates Since November

In just three short months, Texans have bought nearly $1.2 million worth of vanity license plates from myplates.com, a public/private program created by the Texas state legislature designed to raise money for the state through license plate sales.

Of the sales, $410,000 is going to the state's General Reserve Fund while $130,000 is going to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

Myplates.com said that out of 21 new designs, the top selling plate design is Lone Star Black -- a solid black plate with a white star. They have sold more than 5,300 plates at an average cost of $225 (where plates are valid for multiple years).

The state program has been popular because it costs taxpayers nothing, makes money for the state and offers all Texans a fun choice in customizing their cars.

My Plates designs start at $55 a year. The cost goes up if you want to personalize the plate. Prices depend on how many letters and numbers you need to spell out the combination you want and whether you buy the plates for a 1, 5, or 10 year term. You can even put My Plates on motorcycles, trailers, RVs and private buses.

The state legislature created the My Plates program to get creative with license plates to raise money for the state. The program is managed by Etech, Inc., of Nacogdoches and Pinnacle Technical Resources of Dallas in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation.

Sales began on Nov. 19, 2009.