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Supporting the hobby, conducting research, preserving & promoting the history of Pennsylvania License Plates
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Weekly Posts
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Here is the newest agency-specific Official Use plate: Pennsylvania Capitol Police. It is safe to assume that the only place to spot these is around the capitol complex in Harrisburg. See this new type and all other Official types on the Official page!
Tim Gierschick shares this low-number plate from 1958. Records indicate that the Passenger series for this year began at number "100-000" and the "Reserve" series started at number "1001". It appears that this plate was mounted at one point so it's likely that this number was issued to a VIP, someone who had enough influence to get a number even lower than the authorized run of numbers. It appears that the sticker number matches the plate number, too!
Here's a new high for the Bucknell University plate type from John Clark. This is the first sighting of this plate type with the map outline as well! For all current highs, be sure to check out the Highs page!
Here's another "first of" for this site: a personalized Format 2 Operation Iraqi Freedom plate. This one comes from Nick Tsilakis, a longtime contributor to this site. A sincere "thank you" to everyone who has contributed to this site over the years to make it the great resource that it is!
Lastly this week is a new high for the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company plate type, and yet another "first of" for this site - the first observed plate of this type with the map outline. This fire house is located in a small town somewhere between Butler and Pittsburgh, so you're likely only to spot one of these if you live in the immediate vicinity of the fire house. Thanks to Ben Vaughn for this one!
The Plate of the Week award goes to yours truly for spotting this INSANELY rare Fleet Transporter plate in the wild. Per John McDevitt, only 93 of these plates are active across the whole state, and because it's a dealer-esque type, they are not always mounted to a vehicle.
Dillon Hornberger shares this new high for the PA Sportsman type. This plate was authorized back in July 2024 and hit the roads in or around October 2024. It looks to be enjoying good sales so far. For all current highs, be sure to check out the Highs page!
John Clark shares this picture of a new high for the Geneva College plate type. This is the first sighting of this plate type since the logo was updated.
John Clark also shares this picture of a Pennsylvania Farm Show plate. As indicated on the plate, it's a temporary plate, valid only from January 4 thru January 11, 2025. It's also the first plate issued! John reports that he also spotted numbers 08, 10, and 12 of this type. This is the first Farm Show plate known to this site.
Last up we have this picture of a personalized Upper Gwynedd Township Fire Department plate, a "first of" for this website. This one is also from John Clark - thanks John!
The Plates of the Week award goes to Marjory Cahill Shelton, who submitted these two Press Photographer plates. Mrs. Shelton reached out to us to share these pictures and to let us know that she is the oldest child of Pat Cahill, who was instrumental in getting this plate type started in 1956. She also confirmed that he received the first plate that was issued, which was "PP11".
Two Passenger plates in the "MTA" series have been spotted, one with a blurry picture and one with no picture. Keep your eyes open as this series progresses!
Here are a few personalized plates for the Combat Action Badge and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. plate types. These are both "first-of" pictures for this site! Thank you to Bill Young for the Combat Action Badge picture and to Jordan Irazabal for the Alpha Kappa Alpha picture.
Jonathan Ortmann shares this picture of the #1 plate for the Tall Cedars of Lebanon plate type. This type came out in 2005 and the current high is T/C 00063, which means that about 3 plates are issued every year on average. Consider yourself lucky if you spot one of these in the wild!
Last but not least we have this awesome pair of plates sent in by Bill Jesse. All-numeric plates, including low-number plates like this, are catalogued in the Passenger section of this website, under the "Personalized Plate" column. It should be noted that personalized plates started in 1965. Generally speaking, three-digit numbers are available from time to time but it's almost impossible to secure a number under 100.
We now have a prototype image of the recently-announced Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal plate, thanks to John McDevitt's research. In order to be eligible to order this plate, you must submit a copy of your DD214 discharge papers indicating that you served in the 65th Infantry Regiment - "The Borinqueneers" - or other evidence of being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Click here for a link to the application.
Ben Vaughn submits this picture of a personalized Animal Friends plate. With PennDOT offering hundreds of special organization plates, there are so many opportunities to have a low-number plate!
This Vertical Motorcycle plate may not look like a new high, but it is! This type came out in 2014, starting at M0A0C thru M9Z9C, now MA0AC thru this new high. The first letter M and last letter C never advance. Thanks to Jonathan Ortmann for the picture, click to see a larger version!
Here is a pair of new highs from John Clark for the Susquehanna University and Michigan State Alumni plate types. This is the first time either type has been observed with the map outline graphic. Click the links to see the complete history for each type!
Ben Vaughn submits this new high for the Expeditionary Forces Veteran plate type. This type started in 1995 on the blue and red on white base at E/F 0001.