Summary
| Vehicle registration plates of the United States by year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1915 | Events of 1916 | Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1917 |
In 1916 Guam and Nevada joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 45 states and 4 territories that were issuing license plates and 1 other state requiring owners to provide their own license plates.[1][2][3][4]
Passenger baseplates edit
In the table below, a light green background indicates that the owner of the vehicle was required to provide their own license plates. These plates are called "prestate" by most collectors. In the prestate era many states only provided the license plate number on a small disc or on paper, and the owner was required to have their license plate(s) made. These early license plates were created from kits that could be purchased at a hardware store, may have been available from automobile clubs or associations, they were forged by blacksmiths or other tradesmen, or the owner may have made their own plate with whatever materials they had on hand. Prestate plates were made from a variety of materials, but most often were made of leather, steel, or wood.
| Legend: | Regular state issue plate(s) | Prestate era plate(s) | No plates issued by state or territory |
| Image | State | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alabama | |||||
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Alaska | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1921. | ||||
|
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American Samoa | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1924. | ||||
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Arizona | |||||
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Arkansas | |||||
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California | |||||
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|
Canal Zone | |||||
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Colorado | |||||
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Connecticut | |||||
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Delaware | |||||
|
|
District of Columbia |
|||||
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Florida | State issued plates begin in 1918. | ||||
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Georgia | |||||
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Guam | First year for territory issued plates. | ||||
|
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Hawai'i | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1922. | ||||
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Idaho | |||||
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Illinois | |||||
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Indiana | |||||
|
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Iowa | Embossed beige serial on dark olive green plate; "IA" and dash at right | none | 123456 | 1 to approximately 341000 | Used until 1918 due to metal conservation for World War I. |
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Kansas | |||||
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Kentucky | |||||
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Louisiana | |||||
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Maine | |||||
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Maryland | |||||
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Massachusetts | |||||
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Michigan | |||||
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Minnesota | |||||
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Mississippi | |||||
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Missouri | |||||
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Montana | |||||
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Nebraska | |||||
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Nevada | First year for state issued plates. | ||||
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New Hampshire | |||||
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New Jersey | |||||
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New Mexico | |||||
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New York | |||||
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North Carolina | |||||
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North Dakota | |||||
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|
Northern Mariana Islands |
No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1944. | ||||
|
|
Ohio | |||||
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Oklahoma | |||||
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Oregon | |||||
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Pennsylvania | |||||
|
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Puerto Rico | |||||
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Rhode Island | |||||
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South Carolina | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1917. | ||||
|
South Dakota | |||||
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Tennessee | |||||
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Texas | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1917. | ||||
|
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U.S. Virgin Islands | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1917. | ||||
|
Utah | |||||
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Vermont | |||||
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Virginia | |||||
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Washington | |||||
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West Virginia | |||||
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Wisconsin | Embossed red serial on white plate; vertical "WIS." over "'16." at right | none | 123456 | 1 to approximately 115000 | First base to use six digits. |
|
Wyoming |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Fox, Jams K. (1997). License Plates of the United States: A Pictorial History 1903-To the Present. Jerico, New York: Interstate Directory Publishing Company. ISBN 9781886777002.
- ^ Minard, Jeff; Stentiford, Tim (2004). A Moving History, 50 Years Of ALPCA. 100 Years Of License Plates. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company. p. 58. ISBN 1-56311-975-7.
- ^ Crisler, Bob; Crisler, Chuck, eds. (2007). License Plate Values (7th ed.). King Publishing Company.
- ^ Martells, Jack (1980). Antique Automotive Collectibles. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc. pp. 128–145. ISBN 0-8092-7205-9.