Local woman collects souvenir plates to mark visiting all 50 states

Aug 26, 2023

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS — Earlier this month, Ruth Yordy of Marshalltown accomplished her goal of visiting all 50 states, with a trip to Delaware and West Virginia. Since the late 1960s, she’s been collecting souvenir plates from each state she visits.

Ruth Yordy of Marshalltown grew up on a farm outside of Haverhill. As a kid, road trips usually took her no farther than visiting relatives in Minnesota in the summertime. But that changed in 1967 when her first husband enlisted in the U.S. Army, giving the couple the opportunity to see the nation. Along the way, Yordy has picked up souvenir plates to commemorate every state she’s visited. Earlier this month, she completed the task of seeing all 50 states when she traveled to Delaware and West Virginia with her family.

Her plates are proudly displayed in her home, hung in alphabetical order. Most are “dinner plate” sized and ceramic, while others are crafted from metal and shaped like trays.

Back in the 60s, Yordy’s husband completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, before the couple relocated to New Jersey for three years.

“We drove out there, and I started picking up plates then,” she noted.

His next assignment took them to Anchorage, Alaska.

A wall in Yordy’s home proudly displays all 50 state plates, in alphabetical order.

“We drove out to Alaska, then on the way back, we had our car ferried in Seattle then drove back from there,” she said of her travels.

Trips to visit friends and family helped Yordy check states off her list.

With her second husband Gene, Yordy took two, two-week long bus tours that allowed her to see other areas of the country.

In the beginning, Yordy noted, it was quite easy finding souvenir plates in airport gift shops and at tourist stops. But that’s changed in recent years.

When she was in Utah shopping for a plate, the man in the gift shop had to dig through a drawer in the back room to locate one.

“You can find spoons and shot glasses, but plates are hard to find,” she said. “My last two plates, Delaware and West Virginia, I actually bought at an antique store in State Center. I didn’t put them on my wall until I got back from my trip.”

The other 48 plates were purchased in those respective states. Themes include illustrations of landmarks, state birds and slogans.

“It’s fun to look at them and remember all the places that I’ve been,” she added.

Her children have championed her hobby.

“A few years ago my older daughter and her daughter took me to Arizona and New Mexico just so I could get my plates,” Yordy said. “Then this summer, my other daughter out in Idaho and her daughter and my sister went with me on my trip. It became a family thing; let’s get mom to do her bucket list.”

Some plates more than others hold sentimental meaning.

“My mother gave me the Iowa plate, and she’s been gone for 20 years now, so that’s special. My Alaska plate too is special, and the California plate is made out of the California Redwoods. When we came back from Alaska, we drove through the Redwood Forest, through a tree,” she explained.

Yordy still enjoys doing some traveling, but on a limited basis. She looks at her completed collection, with satisfaction.

Collectible plates vary in monetary value based on when they were made and by what company or artist, overall condition and rarity. Besides souvenir state plates, others collect ones that honor presidential inaugurations, installation of royalty (think Queen Elizabeth II or King Charles II) or a more personal nature, such as wedding anniversaries. Plates from the 1920s and 1930s command higher prices, while ones made after the 1980s tend to drop off in worth, beyond the memories attached to them.

“It seems like each plate has a little bit of a story to it,” Yordy said.

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

The city of Marshalltown is preparing for another four years of making homes safer for families. The U.S. ...

Although a delay in ordering ballots pushed back the start of the absentee voting period for the upcoming ...