Let's get on top of things this month and talk about license plate toppers. So many of these license plate toppers were created for gas and car companies and there is a lot of them out there to talk about so let's talk about two. Most of you have probably seen the common ones like the Shell Oil Co. with the three flags across it, and the Mobil drive safely with the Pegasus, here's a little detail on them both.
First off let's start with the Shell topper, the three flags on it are mariners code for "I am giving way" but in the motorist code they mean "I will share the road." That was what one of their advertising items said, these were only handed out to the people who were part of the share the road club. All of the Shell toppers that are on the market are all original.
Second is the Mobil Pegasus topper this is the most common of the Mobil toppers and are also the most reproduced of them and they are easily identifiable if you know what to look for. These toppers are very sought after by a lot of the gear heads to put on their old cars. There is also a book you can buy that has every Pegasus topper in it including the reproductions.
A lot of the states used these also, they were primarily to advertise their larger cities to attract more visitors. Some of the insurance companies used these as well. You may have seen the most common one from State Farm with the old car on it, or the other common one from AAA with the state or city you lived in. Another common one is the Goodrich Silvertown Safety League that's the one with the red reflector in the middle.
Some of the more scarce ones are the Tydol man, and the Kendal two fingers logo, Cites Service Koolmotor, Hancock Oil, and Fleet Wing. There are some that would have been a salesman sample or an idea made for the companies but never produced more than the sample. These can be very hard to find because of it being a one-of-a-kind piece.