Numberplate collector, Indiana

Gabriel speculates that he owns a couple thousand numberplates, most of which are at his home.

So what is it about a numberplate that can make a man want to cover his walls with them? “I collect because I like the looks of them,” Gabriel said. “It’s like the hunt — finding a numberplate you’ve been looking for.”

Like many others, Gabriel has the collector’s bug, a fervent desire to collect rarities or commonplace objects with value, even if the objects are disposable to others.

Gabriel starting collecting numberplates as a teenager. He kept the plates from his first car, then kept plates from his next cars and eventually other people starting giving him numberplates.