Donation auction, 2009 Automobile License Plate Collectors' Association
The various DMV-donated sample plates and convention souvenirs in the background were included in the auction lot, so the backing boards became more and more bare as the evening rolled on. I didn't get anything, although I would have had I not entered a bidding war over Rhode Island 1985 police plate number 182.
Also included in the lots was a pair of 500+ piece jigsaw puzzles from the 1970s, featuring a photograph of various license plates from the G.B. Moore collection. I actually have this puzzle; though I found mine by random chance at a yard sale...