| Vehicle registration plates of the United States by year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1914 | Events of 1915 | Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1916 |
In 1915 Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 44 states and 3 territories that were issuing license plates and 2 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.[1][2][3][4]
Passenger baseplates
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 | |||||
|
Alaska | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1921. | ||||
|
|
American Samoa | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1924. | ||||
|
Arizona | |||||
|
|
Arkansas | |||||
|
California | Black serial on yellow porcelain, "CAL" and "1915" on left and right, respective places. | ||||
|
|
Canal Zone | |||||
|
Colorado | |||||
|
|
Connecticut | |||||
|
|
Delaware | |||||
|
|
District of Columbia |
|||||
|
|
Florida | State issued plates begin in 1918. | ||||
|
|
Georgia | |||||
|
|
Guam | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1916. | ||||
|
|
Hawai'i | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1922. | ||||
|
|
Idaho | |||||
 
|
Illinois | Front plate has slots between the serial numbers to allow better radiator ventilation. | ||||
|
Indiana | |||||
|
Iowa | Emobossed black text on yellow background | ||||
|
|
Kansas | |||||
|
Kentucky | |||||
|
Louisiana | Louisiana's first license plate was a white serial, "LA", and "1915" on a midnight blue porcelain plate. | none | First year for state issued plates. | ||
|
|
Maine | |||||
|
Maryland | |||||
|
Massachusetts | |||||
|
|
Michigan | |||||
|
|
Minnesota | |||||
|
|
Mississippi | |||||
|
Missouri | Bmbossed black serial on green plate, stacked "MO" and "1915" on right side | ||||
|
|
Montana | First year for state issued plates. | ||||
|
|
Nebraska | First year for state issued plates. | ||||
|
|
Nevada | Last year for prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1916. | ||||
|
|
New Hampshire | |||||
|
|
New Jersey | |||||
|
New Mexico | |||||
|
New York | |||||
|
North Carolina | Expires June 30-15 | ||||
|
|
North Dakota | |||||
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands |
No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1944. | ||||
|
Ohio | |||||
|
|
Oklahoma | First year for state issued plates. | ||||
|
|
Oregon | |||||
|
|
Pennsylvania | |||||
|
|
Puerto Rico | |||||
|
|
Rhode Island | |||||
|
|
South Carolina | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1917. | ||||
|
South Dakota | |||||
|
|
Tennessee | First year for state issued plates. | ||||
|
|
Texas | No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1917. | ||||
|
|
U.S. Virgin Islands | No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1917. | ||||
|
|
Utah | First year for state issued plates. | ||||
|
|
Vermont | |||||
|
|
Virginia | |||||
|
|
Washington | First year for state plates. | ||||
|
|
West Virginia | |||||
|
|
Wisconsin | Embossed white serial on black plate; "W" and "15" embossed at right | none | 12345 | 1 to approximately 80000 | |
|
Wyoming |
See also
References
- ^ 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.
External links
This page was last edited on 20 January 2023, at 19:20