Smokey Bear low plate numbers: Bid it to win it

A new Smokey Bear license plate is coming to Oregon on Aug. 1! Using eBay, Keep Oregon Green is auctioning off low numbers SB 00002 through SB 00020.

KOG started the bidding on Sunday at noon with SB 00020. The next number (SB 00019) will be auctioned the following Sunday, March 24th.

KOG will conduct these low-number auctions each week until the last low number (SB 00002) is sold in July.

The funds generated from the auction will benefit the Keep Oregon Green Association, whose mission is to promote healthy landscapes and safe communities by educating the public of everyone’s shared responsibility to prevent human-caused wildfires.

If you plan to bid on a low number, please keep in mind that the bidder must qualify for Oregon registration. The plate has to be issued to a passenger vehicle. You do not need to have purchased a Smokey Bear voucher to participate in this auction.

Keep Oregon Green cannot technically auction the plate itself, only the low number that appears on the plate. DMV issues the Smokey Bear plate, so any association with DMV fees, requirements, etc. are kept completely separate from this auction.

The $40 surcharge or any other DMV plate-related fees are not a part of the auction amount. If winners get a low number and already have a voucher, DMV has your information and will send a letter indicating what is needed to apply and pay for the plate once they are available for purchase. DMV will also send similar letters to winners who have not pre-paid for a voucher.

DMV is not involved in the auction, but the list of winners will be turned over to DMV and accounted for in their system. Once the auction is complete, Keep Oregon Green will provide DMV with the names, addresses, license, and vehicle information to include on the list. DMV will handle all tasks related to issuance of the plate, including sending a letter to the “winners” with the fees and application information.

To reiterate, Keep Oregon Green is not auctioning Smokey Bear plates, but rather a chance to reserve a low plate number from 00002-00020. Aside from these 19 numbers, all other plate numbers are first-come, first-served. Keep Oregon Green and DMV do not reserve any other configurations, only the 19 numbers that Keep Oregon Green has designated.

For further information about the low number auction and questions, visit www.keeporegongreen.org.