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Family Trying To Track Down Buyer Who Purchased Grandfather's Vintage Eagles License Plate

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – For one Bucks County family, a vintage Eagles license plate means more than just decorative metal on the car, it was a memory of their loved one. But the plate was accidentally sold and now they're trying to retrieve it.

For as long as John and Lauren Theis can remember, their grandfather, Jack, always drove around in his 1985 Dodge Ram. The Ram was accompanied with a vintage Eagles license plate for many years.

"To put it simply he is my hero, my idol, my pop. The license plate has been on his black Dodge Ram for as long as I can remember," said John.

"We were close. He used to carpool us around. He would drive me and my cousins in it," said John's sister, Lauren.

vintage eagles plate
Credit: Lauren Theis

But in 2017 the truck was given to another family member after Jack became ill.

The Eagles license plate was later sold on October 4, 2017, for $10 through Lori Forrest's business, Carnival of Collectables in Sicklerville, New Jersey.

Lauren said she has been trying to track down that buyer of the plate for months—hopefully before Christmas.

"I wish I had that license plate. With Christmas coming I said, I'm gonna find this for my brother," Lauren tells CBS Philly.

"Our whole family are huge Eagles fans and ever since I was a kid I always saw that license plate on pop's truck and thought it was the coolest thing. I actually bought something similar for my truck just so we could have the something alike," John said.

vintage eagles plate
Credit: Lauren Theis

Sadly, Jack passed away this January at the age of 79--one month before the Eagles won the Super Bowl.

"He would be very shocked. I could picture his smile on his face," said Lauren, when asked how her grandfather would react to the Eagles big win.

But she says, he would probably make fun of her for using social media to track down the plate.

"He thought social media was weird. If he knew I was using social media do this he would probably say, 'What is wrong you?" said Lauren.

There have been no leads on the buyer of the plate but Lori says she's offering a reward of $50.

"I wanted to get it and put it in a frame alongside of other things that I cherish of my pop. It may be silly to go through all this for a piece of metal but it's a piece of my pop," John says.

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