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.
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
ImageStateDesignSloganSerial formatSerials issuedNotesAlabamaAlaskaNo prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1921.American SamoaNo prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1924.ArizonaArkansasCaliforniaBlack serial on yellow porcelain, "CAL" and "1915" on left and right, respective places.Canal ZoneColoradoConnecticut DelawareDistrict ofColumbiaFloridaState issued plates begin in 1918.GeorgiaGuamNo prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1916.Hawai'iNo prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1922.IdahoIllinoisFront plate has slots between the serial numbers to allow better radiator ventilation.IndianaIowaEmobossed black text on yellow backgroundKansasKentuckyLouisianaLouisiana's first license plate was a white serial, "LA", and "1915" on a midnight blue porcelain plate.noneFirst year for state issued plates.MaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriBmbossed black serial on green plate, stacked "MO" and "1915" on right sideMontanaFirst year for state issued plates.NebraskaFirst year for state issued plates.NevadaLast year for prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1916.New HampshireNew Jersey New MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaExpires June 30-15North DakotaNorthern Mariana IslandsNo prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1944.OhioOklahomaFirst year for state issued plates.OregonPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaNo prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1917.South DakotaTennesseeFirst year for state issued plates.TexasNo prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1917.U.S. Virgin IslandsNo prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1917.UtahFirst year for state issued plates.VermontVirginiaWashingtonFirst year for state plates.West VirginiaWisconsinEmbossed white serial on black plate; "W" and "15" embossed at rightnone123451 to approximately 80000Wyoming
See also
Antique vehicle registration Electronic license plate Motor vehicle registration Vehicle license
References
External links