I recently had an email from a collector in Australia in response to a post on their web site about license plate toppers (attachments, badges, emblems). They are sometimes called "pectins". Does anyone know the origin of this word or description? I have assumed it was a misspelling of "pecten" which is a shell and when Shell oil started making license plate toppers in the shape of their logo the term became generally applied to all license plate toppers. A 1935 article from Socony indicated they called theirs "license plate markers" when they began distributing the famous "flying red horse". Any help appreciated.