MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The "In God We Trust" automobile license tag is far and away the most popular special tag in the state, selling almost nine times as many as the second-best seller.

There are 28,207 "In God We Trust" tags in South Carolina. The second-biggest seller is the University of South Carolina at 3,323, agency spokeswoman Beth Parks said.

There are 93 specialty tags in South Carolina, not counting official government plates, but including six designs that are not yet available, Parks said.

Motorists can show their pride in being a Medal of Honor winner, or their enthusiasm for Dale Earnhardt, or can encourage fellow drivers to support education, endangered species and dozens of other causes.

Offerings include college tags, military-related, car-racing tags and a handicapped plate.

USC tags outsell Clemson University tags by a 4-3 margin, as of the end of June.

More tags are approved each year. The General Assembly approved an Elks Association tag this year that is not yet available for sale.

A 1999 state law requires that specialty tags pay for themselves. The law says before a specialty plate can be made, the Department of Motor Vehicles must have 400 prepaid orders for it, or a sponsor must put up a $4,000 deposit.

Before that law, the state had to subsidize plates that didn't pay for themselves, Parks said.

"The cost to produce the plates is not that much," Parks said. The lowest cost is $1.33, for plates such as the National Guard plate that have few colors, and the most expensive is $4.49, for plates such as NASCAR and "In God We Trust" because of their extensive coloring. The tags are made by prison inmates.

A first printing is 999 tags, with the first 100 reserved for members of the association that wanted the plates, she said.

The fee for a regular tag is $24.

The new "No More Homeless Pets" plate adds $70 to that cost, with proceeds going to a spay-neuter program.

The endangered species tag costs $48, with the extra money going to the state Heritage Trust land conservation program.

College plates cost $70 extra, with $40 sent to the school for scholarships.

The "In God We Trust" plate costs nothing extra because it is not tied to any charitable organization, Parks said.

Information from: The Sun News