State License Plates Part 7: Maryland

April 28, 1788. Breathe it in. That was the date Maryland became a state and gave a ceremonious middle finger to the Brits as it shoved a crab down their pants. Charming.

I’ve been to Maryland once, just once, and it was to see the Orioles play. On that night Mike Mussina was pitching and I had by far the worst hot dog I have ever had at a baseball game. It wasn’t until later that I learned that the best places to eat are at the restaurants just beyond left field on the concourse. You live and you learn.

Maryland is known as ‘The Old Line State’ which was bestowed upon it by George Washington as he associated the state with its regular line troops, the Maryland Line, who served in the Revolutionary War. It’s motto: ‘Manly deeds, womanly words’. Uh, OK. So they all speak niceties to each other but they act out aggressively toward others? Or do they open doors for ladies and speak softly to their companions? Strange motto for a strange state.

When I think of Maryland I think of crabs (the crustacean), the Baltimore Ravens, and subsequently Edgar Allan Poe, ‘The Wire’, the aforementioned Orioles, and of course their wacky flag. What’s up with their license plate?

In short, I like it. They use a simple white background with black text/numbers that are a bit blocky but it gives them a clear definition.

I really like the font used for ‘Maryland’ and ‘www.maryland.gov’. It’s elegant, simple, and easily legible. Speaking of that wacky flag, it’s on prominent display in the centre of the plate in the form of a shield which – maybe I’m reading too much into this – looks to reference their state nickname and the Maryland Line that fought in the Revolutionary War.

*Upon further reading it harkens back to the George Calvert and his coat of arms (hence the shield form) and being that he was the first Lord Baltimore, why not infuse it with the state because the flag is unique to the state, and now the University of Maryland has wrapped its arms around their heritage and adopted it as a part of their uniforms.

Overall, this plate is simple, clean, neat and elegant. There are no distractions and the plate serves its purpose. I give it a an A.

(I’m not here to discuss the flag but there’s an interesting history behind it here that I think you should check out because it provides some perspective on the state history and the struggle within the state during the Civil War.)