BELLEVILLE, Mich. – A vintage 1971 Michigan license plate, bought as a Father’s Day gift on eBay, led to a special discovery for the Atchinson family.
Craig Atchinson, owner of Atchinson Ford in Belleville, received the license plate from his daughter, Ella.
It came in its original Atchinson Ford holder, but carried a surprise on the back—the name of Craig’s grandfather, Norman “Dutch” Atchinson, who established the dealership in 1961.
“It’s metal, which is really cool. It’s actually in beautiful condition for being 54 years old,” said Ella Atchinson, who initially selected the plate because it matched her father’s birth year.
“It’s really hard to explain. Just flipping it over and seeing his name on there. It’s hard to express how it feels because it was just awesome,” Craig Atchinson said.
Norman Atchinson began his automotive career as a Pontiac dealer before acquiring the Ford franchise in Belleville in 1961.
The business has remained in family hands, with Craig’s father joining in 1968 and Craig himself starting his tenure in 1995.
“I have stories of him coming in and changing flat tires on the side of the road for people,” Craig Atchinson recalled of his grandfather. “He was just a great guy, a great dealer and a good role model.”
The plate’s path back to Belleville remains mysterious. Ella contacted the eBay seller, a Mississippi-based company that wholesales license plates, but they couldn’t trace its journey. The seller told her, “It obviously made its way back home.”
While the Atchinsons are still deciding how to display this piece of family history, one thing is certain – it’s not going back on eBay.