abridged version....
my license plate was smashed in my wreck. its a usmc vet tag. ive had it 10 years, and it transfers from vehicle to vehicle.
im talking to a friend here, an fellow MV enthusiast. he tells me of a VERY obscure MV law.
i go to Dept Motor Vehicles and fill out the paperwork.
25 dollar one time fee (read LIFETIME) registers my vehicle as a military vehicle and uses my hood numbers as my tag.
so?
no more license plate.
it never expires
if, i sell it the new owner pays a 3.50 fee to transfer the registration to him, for the rest of his life.
maybe your states have it too.