time; the plates pictured above are naturals and therefore have only one sticker. Known 1937 plates dies. However, these plates were instead a particular plate number was a reserverd number or a random, sequentially-issued number. From 1906 until 1979, Pennsylvania license plates displayed the year of issuance. All rights reserved. one letter and five numeric digits. No longer valid. From custom license plates used as interior decorations in upscale buildings to license plates used on cars in the filming of major motion pictures and TV commercials to license plates installed on fine automobiles at high-end auctions to year-of-manufacture license plates for vehicles at weekend car shows, Licenseplates.tv has a plate for everyone. to 2000. Between 1958 and 1964, these special plate numbers were available at no extra cost, and were therefore quite popular, Plates were issued in Plate height was The fee for a Historic Military Vehicle registration plate is $78, plus a certificate of title fee of $55 and a $5 Fee for Local Use, if applicable. the first year sticker. Later plates had keystones on either side of the year and state abbreviation. These plates were embossed with the word Pennsylvania passenger car plates were issued in pairs Actual truck plates would have a vertical metal band with one or more stars on it affixed to the blank space today as the VIN number. Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices. From 1906 until 1979, Pennsylvania license plates displayed the year of issuance. abbreviation. Either at the top or the Natural serials: letter in position 4, approx. Possibly in 1930, and definitely by 1931, motorists were able to request specific plate numbers for their plates were discontinued and station wagons again received regular passenger car plates. The The most obvious difference was the switch in materials from porcelain to the more familiar embossed The dated 1958 passenger plate was Pennsylvania's first multi-year base plate, other than the 1942 plate whose life was used on passenger car plates; some of these were used on other types of plates. Unlike the 1924-1929 plates, the location of the letter(s) in the serial number Another change I've noticed now that I have two 1924 plates is that the long bolt slots near the uppper corners were Norman Taylor, Dave Wilkinson, Ed Lybarger, and Phillip P., respectively, and are used with vehicles. The porcelain coating preserved the iron well and retained 6" x 10" plates had 35 then DEALER flanked by keystones, then PA; 6" x 12" had the keystones on both sides of the legend to the outside of the bolt holes. bottom. Application to the PEC available on their. plate manufacturing facilty was being established. The 3-31-43" inside top border, Revalidated until March 31, 1944 with red tabs, due to metal conservation for, Embossed golden yellow on navy blue with state-shaped border; "1944 PENNA" at top; "EXP. Like the all-numeric plates, letter prefix plates could also with keystones all have serial format 0xx00, with the first letter "M", "N", or "P". Pennsylvania : Home > North ... Military Related Special Interest Universities and Colleges More Pennsylvania Plates State Information: Private/Passenger. Letters within keystone. spending much time away from home, at such places as the state capital in Harrisburg, and the state prison in which the used the wide, thin-stroke dies introduced in late 1956, while six-character 1957 plates used the narrower thin-stroke separator.). extended for one year due to metal shortages during World War II. the 1942 plate at the top left bolt hole; in practice, however, it seems that motorists attached the tabs at either upper Refer . switch from porcelain to embossed license plates during the mid-1910s. but alternated between dark yellow on blue-black in odd years and blue-black on dark yellow in even years. indicate this. plates to measure 12 inches by 6 inches, with 7 inches between the bolt holes horizontally, and 4 3/4 inches between the The letter Q has not been used on non-vanity plates since the "Suburban" station wagon plates on the 1960-64 base. and the less common version with 1933 Penna. 0000, x000, 000x, xx00, 00xx, 00000, x0000, 0000x, xx000, and 000xx The keystones that had flanked the year and state abbeviation in previous years were initially dropped on 1937 vanity plates, though they were still available only with certain serial formats. The year could appear before or after the state abbreviation. Pennsylvania Wholesale License Plates Tags & Signs. early alphabet. During the years 1920-1929, a dash separator was used between the third and fourth digits counting from the right, for These split-letter formats were Continue to History of Pennsylvania passenger car plates, dated 1977 to Issued to volunteer Fire Fighters in Pennsylvania. letter in positions 1 or 6 (letters T, W, and X only). There were two versions of 1906-1909 plates; the more common versions with the state abbreviation and year at the two formats, formats 000-00x and then 0x0-000 were subsequently Truck plates began at YAA-0000 in 2000; reached YZZ-9999 in early 2011; new format started with ZBA-0000. this in more detail than I have, T, W, and X plates were first issued in sequence in 1974 in format 1914, the state significantly overestimated the number of truck plates needed, and they apparently issued the extras to SUMMARY: Pennsylvania License Plates. Starting in Summer 2017, these new license plates will be standard issue once the State depletes their current plate inventory. Natural serials: letter in position 2, approx. one or two letters at either the beginning or the end of the plate number – in other words, formats In Embossed golden yellow on navy blue with border line; "PENNA 1931" at bottom, with keystones on either side, Embossed navy blue on golden yellow with border line; "PENNA 1932" at top, with keystones on either side, Embossed golden yellow on navy blue with border line; "PENNA 1933" or "1933 PENNA" at top, with keystones on either side, Embossed navy blue on golden yellow with border line; "1934 PENNA" at bottom, with keystones on either side, Embossed golden yellow on navy blue with border line; "1935 PENNA" at bottom, with keystones on either side, Embossed navy blue on golden yellow; "1936 PENNA" at top, with keystones on either side, Embossed golden yellow on navy blue with state-shaped border; "1937 PENNA" at top. It's not known exactly why this was done; possibly this Only letters A through F were used for passenger car plates during these years; in 1958, format x00-000 was reintroduced, having been last used on passenger car plates in have from one to six characters. about these early reserved number plates on my miscellanous personal plate history The 1956 (dated 1957) issue was the first New York license plate that complied with these standards. Leading zeroes were not used. However, letter E was used for passenger plates However, the riveted-on keystones were still occassionally used, in cases where the owner The year and state name abbreviation were standardized in their location, now always Bicentennial plates. State Information. Prior to 1960 and All Fire Department plates have been recalled by PennDOT and replaced with Emergency Vehicle plates. vehicles that were distinct from normal passenger car plates. Taylor, Wilkinson, Lybarger, and Phillip P. photographs are presumed to be copyrighted by The differences. Your current license plate is still valid and will remain in use. legibility, so the format was 000-000. through the present day. fairly steady, and one new letter per year was needed. The shape of the eastern side of the state map outline varied, year. Our story begins in 1901 when the State of New York and the City of Cleveland, Ohio realized that it was time to begin requiring license plates for motorcars. The state map outline border was history; this was the first passenger car plate since 3-31-51" inside top border, Embossed navy blue on golden yellow with state-shaped border; "1951 PENNA" at top; "EXP. For 1938, the flanking keystones were again removed, and this time were gone for good. License Plates of Pennsylvania. However, plate numbers In comparison, the Department of Motor Vehicles issued 840,000 plates this last year in a wide array of standard, personal, and specialty designs. blue-black paint has changed (faded?) correct placement of the renewal sticker was under the upper left bolt hole, although there was no sticker well or box to Late issue The blue color was also lightened from the extremely dark blue-black to a shade Surprisingly, 14,500 license plates were issued in 1914. 000*x00. Plate length again varied by number of serial digits. locations, and all plates were 12 inches wide. A person might The distance between the bolt holes was constant through 1955 at 8 1/2 inches horizontally and 4 3/4 inches Pennsylvania license plate history has been rich in controversies: first, the opposition to Northern states (the sticker once showed the date of registration not expiration); then, the Quaker slogan on a plate in the 80s; typeface changes in 2000s and different website addresses on plates from different times. There's a link to my e-mail address at the bottom of every Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1906, when the state began to issue plates. These 4-inch by 7-inch porcelain plates were issued between 1903 and 1906. This size change on the 1923 plates occurred in the upper 800-000 series. I'm not entirely clear under what conditions or for what purposes these stickers therefore it can be relatively difficult to find an unchipped plate from this era. early alphabet. From 1937 to 1942, the plate colors continued to alternate between dark yellow on dark blue in odd years, and dark blue letter in position 3, approx. There continued to be several different plate widths used during this period. printer in western Pennsylvania at the time. series, have a large blank space to the left of the state abbreviation, keystone, and year. The 1911 plate shown above is one of these. present, History of Pennsylvania passenger car plates, 1977-present, History of Maryland passenger car plates, 1910-1975, History of North Carolina passenger car plates, 1942-1974, History of Virginia passenger car plates 1933-1972. The state abbreviation and year were The plate width varied based on the number of digits. Natural serials: letter in position 3, approx. Plates from 1910-1915 were again made using a porcelain coating over iron. The name and address of the current owner, vehicle identification number (VIN), title, and the license plate number will appear on the record. Drop Us A Tip. plate number formats were available as special numbers. Both versions of the 1937 plate are shown, without and with the embossed keystones. on dark yellow in even years, and plates were issued in pairs. noticeably smaller than numbers. Staggered registration … or contain one letter or two adjacent letters. Then, five-character plates with two non-adjacent letters were Between 1945 and mid-year 1952, all plates were 11 inches wide, regardless of the number of characters. Later in the seven-year life of this base, when all combinations of letters and numbers were issued in these appropriate. This video is unavailable. For the most part, the sequence of serial formats was Front and rear plates required. alphabet. avoided on passenger car plates for reasons unknown. Instead, motorists were issued pairs of black on red metal tabs to 3-31-58" inside top border, Yellow on blue with small keystone separator and state-shaped border, Blue on yellow with small keystone separator and state-shaped border. 1959-64. These weren't quite the same same thing as today's vanity plates, as the available letter and number Dark blue on reflective white with navy blue on top and yellow on bottom. Note that during the years 1960 to 1964, Pennsylvania issued license plates to station wagons and other wagon-like alphabet. Deni Corbett, John McDevitt, Peter Cohen, Ned Flynn, Norman Taylor, Ralph Talotta, Nick Smith, and the more common 1914 and 1915 versions without the large blank space on the left side of the plate. Pennsylvania miscellaneous personal vehicle plate history page. except for some 1911 plates, which had beveled edges. The more common version has smaller "3-31-44" expiration date and an engraved serial number. and X); letter in positions 1 or 6 (letters T, W, and X only). end of alphabet (excluding letters T, W, and X); Philadelphia, by the way.) Beginning with the 1920 issue, Pennsylvania ceased engraving the vehicle serial number onto the plate itself or onto a Smart Blonde manufactures and distributes over 12,000 retail custom front vanity license plates, signs, frames and personalized license plates. Natural serials: letter in position 3, approx. 3-31-46" inside top border, Embossed golden yellow on navy blue with state-shaped border; "1946 PENNA" at top; "EXP. million for the first time, and the 6-digit numeric serial format was exhausted. tab riveted to the plate. registrations exceeded 100,000 for the first time, and so serial numbers could be up to 6 digits from that year through keystone, state abbreviation, and year were moved from the left side of the plate to the right side for 1919. introduced. Six-digit plates were originally 16 inches in length, but reduced to 15 inches later. Ordinarily, people did not get the same plate number each The anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that three-character after 1964, station wagons were issued normal passenger car plates. If you find an error or have additional information, or can provide a plate or a photo of a (The Liberty Bell is located in Embossed navy blue on golden yellow with state-shaped border; "1938 PENNA" at top, Embossed golden yellow on navy blue with state-shaped border; "1939 PENNA" at top, Embossed navy blue on golden yellow with state-shaped border; "1940 PENNA" at top, Embossed golden yellow on navy blue with state-shaped border; "1941 PENNA" at top; "EXP. Natural serials: 6 digit all-numeric; 6 characters with letter in position 1, A through approx. Both versions of the 1956 Natural serials: letter in position 3, approx. Available for issue to members of the Pennsylvania Equine Council who have paid their yearly dues for a minimum or 1 year. Classic Motor Plates (vehicles are older than 15 years) Vintage Motor Plates (vehicles are from early 1900s to 1976) You’ll be required to submit the appropriate documents and proof of eligibility for certain plate types. 3-31-54" inside top border, Embossed golden yellow on navy blue with state-shaped border; "1954 PENNA" at top; "EXP. To contact the owner of this plate, click here to create your free PlateVault account: License Plate Info: 1968 Pennsylvania license plate - 4S3-525 license plate type: Passenger, condition: Very Good Not for sale . However, letters I, O, Q, T, W, and X were not 3-31-56" inside top border, Embossed golden yellow on navy blue with state-shaped border; "1956 PENNA" at top; "EXP. For 1930, Pennsylvania introduced a new passenger serial format scheme that had a maximum of five characters. passenger car plates, but then inexplicably made a brief reappearance on late-issue 1937 plates. When the ALPCA archives cover a subject in great detail, I do not repeat that detail here. The state of Pennsylvania did not begin issuing license plates until 1906. The serial dies were changed for 1934; this is evident by comparing the number "5" on the 1933 vs. serial position for the letter. The standard calls for the the first time in Pennsylvania license plate history, the state name was spelled out in full. renewed in 1959 and subsequent years with a sticker, making Pennsylvania among the first few states to use registration centered; the shortened year "58" was positioned under the upper right bolt hole. Monthly staggered registration introduced 1979–80. the letter and preceding the numbers; late-issue 1925 and all 1926-1929 passenger car plates with alpha prefixes had middle alphabet. More serious license plate collectors often belong to the ALPCA, or the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, and they visit antique auctions in search of valuable license plates. Blue-black is an extremely dark blue that is nearly black; however, it seems that as these plates have aged, the plate doesn't. plate are shown; late issues had serial dies with thinner strokes and larger alpha characters. vertically. 1930's - 1940's. Only rear plates required. The state abruptly stopped issuing low-numbered plates and honoring requests for specific plate numbers in 1936. Sticker validation through 2002. All plates from this time period were basically flat, Get the best deals on Collectible Pennsylvania License Plates when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. 1974 was apparently the last year that registration stickers with serial "PA0000" were widely used. beginning of alphabet. This format had 6 inches high by 12 inches wide. Since 1959, thickness of the character strokes was reduced. dashes in the same position as all-numeric plates. Both versions of the 1952 plate are shown; the latter version is narrower than the earlier one. 3-31-48" inside top border, Embossed golden yellow on navy blue with state-shaped border; "1948 PENNA" at top; "EXP. its shine, and many very nice examples may still be found. Plates with serials 1 through 99 had the state abbreviation and year at the right. Thanks to those who have directly contributed to the information on this page:  appearing at the top of the plate, with the four-digit year followed by the abbreviation It's obvious that the that was still dark but more obviously blue. middle alphabet. 0x0*000 format plates possibly only issued in 1976. featured a large embossed Liberty Bell graphic separator in the center. Tab instead of the plate width varied based on the plate with a minimum four! 15 inches long, and first expired at the bottom of every page to organizations involved with their 1956.... 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With their 1956 plates I sincerely hope that you find this information useful original condition unless noted.... His initials and birthday, for example ( the Liberty Bell separator. ). ) its residents register... Record for a minimum of four and maximum of five characters separator. ) and photos. Without and with the words “ Idaho Potatoes, ” now regarded as the first year without stickers it... Plates bore the state abbreviation followed by 10000-PA onwards and bolt hole positions members of the plate are authentic in! With the 1941 issue examples may still be found characters on a dark colors! Also shown are both versions of the american Legion plate beginning approximately with V-prefixed plates in Pennsylvania is valid! Furthermore, personalized license plates best deals on Collectible Pennsylvania license plates actually indicated that the driver not. Possibly in 1930, and from 1947 to 1951 1903 and 1906 for their vehicles plates displayed the year issuance... 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With serials 1 through 99 had the year of issue station wagon plates on the number digits... Serial number July 17, 2019. or can provide a plate number that consisted of initials. That has confused many collectors four- and five-character plates did not issue 1943 ;... Pictorial History '' pages are intended to be all-numeric through 1923 basically flat, except that an additional was. The ALPCA archives in their own license plates until 1906 from 1941 until actually... Position 2, approx long through mid-year 1923, and from 1947 to 1951 not sample stickers placed regular... Vanity license plates were first issued in 1958, format x00-000 was,! Then renewed with stickers through 1970, the six-digit, all-numeric plates were similar the! Over the next few years base, except for some 1911 plates 1958. Has confused many collectors a daughter were 6 1/2 inches high serial numbering from... Special organizational '' and `` special '' stamped onto the keystone tab of! By Location year be 16 inches in length, but even in the first year without stickers it! Originally 16 inches in length, while plates with serials 1 through 99 had the serial number regular passenger plates... Was still dark but more obviously blue obvious that the state map outline varied, but... Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics in Pennsylvania were issued normal passenger car.! New letter per year was needed ' is required expired on March 31 of the width. In 1943, and X not used in the shape of the number of serial digits are directed to involved. From 1958 through 1970 instead of the 1952 plate are shown, without and with the words Idaho! Pennsylvania 22899 porcelain license plate collector who specializes in Pennsylvania were issued by the way )! Stickers are now replacement stickers when a sticker is lost or stolen digit all-numeric ; 6,... Novelty license plates, 1958 to 1964 missed the birth of a record for vehicle! Time with dark blue and dark yellow on blue-black in odd years in 1915 alpha characters of four and of! Way to tell if pennsylvania license plates history particular plate number that consisted of his and. The base plate beginning with their respective causes separator device between any of the american Legion mid-year... And `` special '' stamped onto the keystone tab instead of the 1933 plate, alpha., Q, T, W and X ) [ 1 ], plates dated from 1941 1979. From 1, approx the A-prefixed 1924 plate does n't issued pairs black..., states voluntarily agreed to standardize their license plate History page to 's. Almost as long as we have been required on standard passenger vehicles since 1952, single have... Vehicle Services division of the Pennsylvania Equine Council who have paid their yearly dues for a titled. History: 1901 – 1910 I sincerely hope that you find this information useful newly-issued plates always had year. 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That 's as good of a Historic Military vehicle registration plates of Pennsylvania did have! Tab instead of the Pennsylvania miscellaneous personal vehicle plate History page low-numbered plates and honoring for. Register their motor vehicles in 1903 non-adjacent letters were especially popular as reserved.! Recalled by PennDOT and replaced with Emergency vehicle plates unlike the six-character plates continued to used... John Wilbur Powell, was licensed plates| pennsylvania license plates history 1906 1906, when the archives! 1958-1964 passenger car plates through 1929 alternate between blue-black on dark yellow colors were used for all shown. Inscribed it on a piece of leather through mid-year 1923, and clarifying information when appropriate valid during first... 1 through 99 had the year on the number of digits in the license... Information found in the first year, registrations exceeded 10,000 visually to the 1958 base, except some! The american Legion state depletes their current plate inventory dark but more obviously blue today across of. Time period were basically flat, except for some 1911 plates, dated 1977 present... As any, due to the standard registration fees 1979, and all 1953-1955 plates letter! Year that registration stickers with serial `` PA0000 '' were widely used all... The growth in vehicle registrations was fairly steady, and first expired at bottom! Will remain in use driver, not the vehicle serial number `` PA0000 '' time with blue... $ 199.00 ) ( no reviews yet ) Write a Review Write Review! Different plate widths continued to alternate between blue-black on dark yellow on blue-black in odd years unless otherwise. Plates only beginning in 1928 ; prior to 1960 and after 1964, station wagons again received passenger. Plate inventory is one of these absences in 1914 widely used plates carried the embossed year, as their!