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Weekly Posts

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3/26/2023 Posting

Bruce Sakson sends in this first-of image of the new Pollinator Habitat plate. PennDOT allocates $25 from the sale of each of these plates to the Pollinator Habitat Program Fund. Your author finds it strange that they started at 10000 and not 10001, but we ARE talking about PennDOT here...


Speaking of types that start at 00000, Michael Almoney sends in this picture of a PA Association of Realtors plate. This type came out in 1995, starting on the blue and yellow base, and is still being issued today on the 1999 base. This means PennDOT ordered a batch of them but haven't sold them all yet, which is why we haven't seen any on the 2005 solid blue/yellow band base. Most special organization plates start at 00001 but a few types have started at 00000.


Mike Alfonse sends in this picture (left) of what's now the previous base/style for the Repair Towing plate type. Repair Towing plates were redesigned in 2022 to look like the plate on the right but presumably there was still inventory for the style on the left. It will be fun to track down the highest number printed on the lefthand plate.


This new observed high for the Limousine plate type comes from our own John McDevitt. This is a plate type that does not have a high rate of issuance so new highs are sometimes just a few numbers apart from previous highs. For all current highs, be sure to check out the Highs page!


This picture of a personalized Disabled Veteran (Severe Disability) plate comes from Mike Alfonse. This plate costs $11 plus another $56 to personalize it. It also grants the driver handicapped parking privileges. If you qualify for this plate type and would like to order it, here is the link to the form.


3/19/2023 Posting

Licensed Driver badges were the precursor to modern driver's licenses. This topic has been something covered in detail on this website - until now! Here is the link to the page that shows Licensed Driver badges by year and type. Thanks to John McDevitt for cropping the photos and publishing the page, and thanks to Mike Alfonse for all the photos and info!


This is the first picture of the newly-redesigned New Vehicle Dealer plate. This type is part of a general redesign of the various dealer types. So far, only redesigned versions of this type, the Pre-Owned Dealer type, and the Repair Towing type have hit the streets. Thanks to Brayden Harnish for the picture!


Dave Fry sends in this picture of what appears to be a test plate for what's now the Emergency Vehicle plate type. PennDOT has a history of producing test/prototype plates so it is not totally surprising to see this one. We will eventually be adding a Test/Prototype section to this website.


Bradley Woodring sends in this picture of a personalized Distracted Driving Awareness Motorcycle plate. This is the first picture of a personalized version of this plate type. Thanks Bradley! The fee for this plate is $40 plus an additional $112 if you want it personalized. Click here for the plate order form.


Clayton Moore sends in this picture of an Apportioned Truck plate. What's special about this picture is not the plate, but the stickers. According to Clayton, the stickers are rare to find in collections, especially the 1988. This website has an entire page dedicated to validation stickers - check it out here!


3/12/2023 Posting

John Clark sends in this first-of image of a Blackthorn Rugby Football Club plate. This club is located in Horsham, PA and was established in 1971. The plate became available in 2022. It's also a new high! For all current highs, be sure to check out the Highs page!


Tiger Joe Sallmen shares this picture of a 1925 Truck plate. Truck plates have always had a weight class identifier of some kind since the plate type started in 1914, but the R-Z (no X) system was in place fom 1924-1967 (excluding 1930). Z denotes the heaviest weight class - 9,001+ unladen weight in 1925! In fact, Z-844 is the highest known number for 1925 "Z" plates.


John Clark also sends in this picture of a Fraternal Order of Police - Survivor plate. These are fairly rare to spot so we are thankful that he got such a good picture! The FOP Survivor fund was created to remember the surviving families of fallen officers.


This picture of a personalized Zeta Phi Beta Sorority plate comes from Mike Alfonse. This is a fairly uncommon one to spot as-is, let alone a personalized version!


Last but not least, John McDevitt spotted this new Repair Towing high. This type came out in October 2022 as part of a general redesign of the various dealer types. So far, only redesigned versions of this type and the Pre-Owned Dealer type have hit the streets.


3/5/2023 Posting

Effective March 3, 2023, four new plate types are now authorized: (1) Pollinator Conservation, (2) Afghanistan and Iraq Veteran (veteran who served in both conflicts), (3) Blue Star Family, and (4) Air Medal. It's unlikely that any of these plates are on the road yet but here are the prototype images from PennDOT's website.


Tim Gierschick sends in this low-number 1925 Tractor plate. Tractor plates started in 1914 and used the "E" prefix for "Engine" until 1928 when the prefix "TE" was used for "Traction Engine". From 1934 to 1984, the prefix was dropped and the word "Tractor" appeared on the plate. In 1984, Tractor plates broke out into two types: Special Mobile Equipment if used for industrial purposes and Implement of Husbandry if used for agricultural purposes.


Michael Vislocky shares this picture of a 1943 tab that was meant for a Bus plate. If you click on the picture, you will see the serial number "O 7589" etched into the bottom of the tab. In an effort to conserve steel during the war, these tabs were distributed in 1943 in lieu of a new annual plate, and the serial numbers had their own series, just like regular plates did. These tabs were affixed to the 1942 plate. The second picture shows whata plate would have looked like during 1943 (passenger plate, picture from Tim Gierschick).


Brendan Sherry sends in this picture of a Official Use - PA State Police plate. Starting in 2017, agency-specific Official Use plates began to roll out, starting with PennDOT, then PA Turnpike Commission, and then PA State Police. Those are the only agency-specific plate types known so far.