There are probably as many fake Kiribati plates in collections as genuine used ones.
There were originally several J.D.Applegate fakes from several of the small islands in the group. As far as is known, these very small islands never had plates.
This photo is of later ‘plates’ and they are mostly from the 1990s it is believed. Although not many plate collectors have visited the islands, there are photos of vehicles in use on the various islands available on web.
Both the photos and the reports from collectors and their contacts on the islands all point towards the fact that plates with the flag or crest of Kiribati have never existed as genuine plates. This has since been confirmed following correspondence with islanders.
It is also very strange that these ‘flag’ plates are mint (even if they have holes in them), have absolutely no signs of use and more than half of them have the flag reversed due to the maker not understanding what he was doing. It is very rare indeed to find a genuine pate on the islands made of Perspex (Plexiglass) as most are made of scraps of wood or recycled metal pieces. Most of the plates in this photo are Perspex.
These are all fakes made to part collectors from their money.
[previous] [next]