I walk by cars parked on the street every day. All have license plates, some from out of state. Why do we have license plates and when did it start?
According to Wikipedia, a vehicle registration plate — also known as a number plate (British English), license plate or license (American English) or licence plate (Canadian English) — is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. All countries require registration plates for road vehicles such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles.
In Rebecca O’Neill’s July 24, 2019 article “10 Facts About the History of License Plates That Will Blow Your Mind” in Hot Cars, she compiled a list of facts about license plates from the Historical Vehicle Association.
France Was the First Country to Issue Numbered License Plates Back In 1893
France was the ahead of the ball game when they came up with the concept of license plates back in 1893. It might surprise you to learn that America was not first, or even third on the list as Germany and the Netherlands beat them to the punch. The United States first required license plates beginning in 1901 in New York. This information is helpful though as we can now blame France every time we are forced to wait in the long lines at the DMV.
New Yorkers Were Required to Make Their Own License Plates from 1901 to 1909
New York had required its residents to have a license plate on their vehicle, but there was a small catch. The residents had to make their own license plates because New York was not yet in the business of producing their own. These plates were generally made of leather, felt or metal with the owner's initials placed as an identifier. No two plates were alike, but this system was inefficient, which is why they eventually began to mass-produce their own in 1909.
Massachusetts Issued the First Porcelain Plates In 1903
The first plates ever issued by the states were released by Massachusetts in 1903. They gave drivers porcelain plates, as this was before the invention of metal stamped plates. The numbers began with one and this first license plate was issued to Fredrick Tudor. His relatives still hold the active registration on the plate, so that number has never been released back into circulation. They truly have a one-of-a-kind plate, even if it is no longer made of porcelain.
Alaska Produced Limited Numbers of License Plates Back in 1921
Alaska, back in 1921, was severely underdeveloped which meant that very few vehicles traversed its rough terrain. They still mandated the production of license plates, so only a few were ever made for vehicles registered in this state and even fewer still exist today. These plates are sought after by collectors due to its rarity and the most recent sale of one of these happened back in 2000. It sold for $60,000 due to its good condition as many of them have decayed due to time spent in the Alaskan wilderness.
West Virginia Produced the First Stamped Metal License Plate
The first stamped metal license plate came to life in West Virginia in 1921, revolutionizing the license plate industry. It switched from less durable materials to metal, which was able to withstand any sort of weather. These license plates were built to last, which is why in the United States we still use stamped metal plates on our vehicles. They were upgraded in 1971 with high-intensity grade reflective sheeting to improve visibility — as well as a few cosmetic changes — but other than that the concept is still the same.
License Plate Slogans Started in Idaho
If you take a look at your own state's license plate you will notice a slogan. This was not always the case until 1928 when Idaho decided to stamp "Idaho Potatoes" on all of its license plates. Other states decided to follow suit as Ohio came up with "Birthplace of Aviation" and Texas deemed themselves "The Lone Star State." There are even some states with multiple slogans because they decided that one was just not enough for their license plates.
Pennsylvania Was the First to Issue a License Plate That Allowed Drivers to Display Their Initials
Pennsylvania was the first state that allowed slight customization of a license plate starting in 1931. This could be the start of "vanity plates," but at this time the drivers could only have their initials printed on the plate. It brought in extra revenue for the state, but it was not until 1965 that the true vanity plate was born where the entire plate could be customized to an owner's liking. Now, it is a huge part of the license plate industry in terms of revenue as customization became a part of the American dream.
A Metal Shortage During WWII Forced States to Use Alternative Materials
World War II brought a large demand for war supplies, and the most common element found in most of these supplies was metal. This requirement led to a shortage in 1944, as all resources were used to create weapons and vehicles to help the soldiers overseas. License plates had to be made out of a different material. States used embossed fiberboard, soybean-based plastic and cardboard as license plates until metal was no longer needed for the war effort.
Uniform License Plate Dimensions Weren't Set Until a
World Government Meeting in 1957
All cars in the United States have license plates that are exactly the same dimension of 6" by 12." These dimensions were not always the case, especially when one traveled between the states. It was established in 1957 at a meeting of world governments that there should be a mandatory size for vehicular license plates. This historical meeting is also the reason why when you travel to Europe all license plates in the numerous countries all look the same.
Congressional Districts, County Designations and Police Codes
Used to Be Displayed
America grew as a country, which led to the establishment of more features on a license plate. There was a time before computers when everything existed on paper, and it became easier for law officials if they could see the police codes, congressional districts and the county a person was from in order to ticket them for breaking the law or figure out who they had pulled over. This practice ended in 1990 when the system became computerized, and it became mandatory for officers to have computers installed in their vehicles.
According to Wikipedia, the world record for the most expensive registration plate is
$14 million. The registration plate "1" was bought at an auction in Abu Dhabi.
Here are some of the best vanity plates:
Examples of license plates from other countries:
B identifies the vehicle is from JADETABEK which can be from the following cities: Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang that includes South Tangerang and Bekasi. 6703 WJF are random numbers and letters from the police. 07.18 identifies the expiration date of the plate which is July 2018 and at the bottom left of the plate there is a small logo of the Indonesian National Traffic Police. This plate is the new design starting from 2012.
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