I restore my own plates...in NJ you can't use old plates...but I change over to my antique plates ('49 & '52 Commercial) when I go to shows or cruise nights...nobody hassles you.
The restoration process is actually pretty simple (if you have raised/embossed numbers)...I match the paint colors...completely chemically strip the plate...spray on a good epoxy primer, then a couple coats of the base color and then I roll on the letter/number color with a rubber printers roller. Finally I clear coat.
