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Clayton Moore sends in a picture of this pair of U.S. Armed Forces Retired plates. This plate type was introduced in 1990 and discontinued in 2006. The highest observed number is D/D 04569. For all current highs, be sure to check out the Highs page!
Mike Alfonse sends in this shot of a Bronze Star for Valor plate. Although not a new observed high number, it's certainly one of the rarer ones to spot!
This new observed high number for the Antique/Historic Car plate type, courtesy of Keaton Chapman Reckard. This plate type began in 1956 on the white-on-purple base, starting with #1, as pictured!
Bruce Bufalini sends in this picture of an Amateur Radio plate with the "-2" suffix. As mentioned in the 12/25/2022 post, it's believed that this is used so a second vehicle titled to the radio operator can receive the same call sign appended with a "-2". Another theory is a situation where someone had their call sign on a plate, gave up the call sign, someone else takes the call sign but the PennDOT database still shows the former owner's name so a "-2" is added to make everyone happy. Please feel free to contact us if you have better information!
Matt Ciecka reports this new observed high number for the new Pre-Owned Dealer plate type. 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 Repair Towing type have hit the streets.
Clayton Moore sends in this picture of a Civil Defense plate along with a registration card. This is significant because, before Clayton found this registration card, little was known about the year of issue of these plates. It was thought to be any time between 1950 and 1979. Click the picture to see a larger image.
Here is a new Passenger high from Ethan Lopez, spotted in the city of Philadelphia. The Passenger series rolled over to the Mxx series in September 2022. For all current highs, be sure to check out the Highs page!
Brayden Harnish sends in this picture of a new observed high number for the U.S. Marine Corps Active Duty plate. The Active Duty plates do not seem to be ultra-popular, possibly because people may not wish to identify themselves as active duty military.
Although this is not a high observed high number, it's the clearest picture of a current-style Official Use plate we have on this site. This type switched from the white-on-blue style to the "Family of Plates" style in mid-2021. PennDOT is hell-bent on switching all plates to this "Family of Plates" design, much to our collective chagrin. Thanks to Mike Alfonse for the picture.
Mike Alfonse also sends in this picture of a Repossessor plate, a type that is very seldom spotted in the wild. It's speculated that this is one of the dealer types that will be redesigned.
Act 112 of HB 1486 clarifies the law on plate frames and confirms what justifies law enforcement to pull someone over for. Before this was enacted, any obstruction on the plate was enough for police to make a traffic stop. This new law says that only obstruction to the serial number justifies a traffic stop. This law was written pursuant to a recent Pennsylvania Superior Court case involving someone who was pulled over because "visitPA.com" was hidden by the plate frame.
Brandon Sowers sends in this picture-perfect image of a Teen Driver plate. These plates are available for any Pennsylvania driver to order. It's also one of the few plates that PennDOT offers where the funds don't go to a specific charity or state trust fund. According to news articles, the main purpose of this plate is to inform drivers that an inexperienced driver is ahead.
Here is another picture-perfect shot, this time from Richard Than, of an In God We Trust plate. Like the plate above, the proceeds from the sale of these plates are not earmarked for any specific charity or state trust fund. This is a new observed high number as well! For all current highs, be sure to check out the Highs page!
Bruce Bufalini sends in this image of a U.S. Army Reserve plate. This type came out in 1987 on the blue and yellow base and started at 0001. When plates transitioned to the tri-color base in 1999, numbering resumed at 1000 or 1001. The current high is A/R 1251 as of January 2021 so only about 1,250 plates have been issued in the last 23 years.
Mike Alfonse shares this image of a Combat Infantryman Badge plate, which also happens to be a new observed high number. PennDOT offers dozens of military and veteran plates, click here to see a full list.
John McDevitt located this ultra-cool picture of a 1935 Bus plate from the Philadelphia Free Library archives! Bus plates began as their own type in 1924 and had an "O" prefix (that's the letter, not the number zero). Today, they live in with a "BA" prefix. Click the picture to see a larger version!
This Saint Joseph's University plate, sent in by Jordan Irazabal, is not a new high observed number but it's a rare one to spot in the wild. Its logo was redesigned in 2013.
Speaking of redesigned college plates, this Gettysburg College plate (left) was sent in by Bruce Bufalini. This plate was redesigned in 2015 and the new design (right) hit the roads in 2019.
The late-1980s vintage plate was spotted (on a YUGO!) by Jeff Lawson. The plate appears to be in much better shape than the car... Passenger plates on this base started at SAA-000 and went to ZZZ-999, and the moved to AAA-0000 in 1992. Click the picture to see a larger version!
Clayton Moore sends in this image of a 1926 Tractor plate. The "E" prefix was used for Tractor (sometimes called "Traction Engine") plates from 1914 through 1927, then "TE" from 1928 through 1933. Beginning in 1934, the word "TRACTOR" appeared on the plate as the identifier. Click here to see historical pictures of Tractor plates!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Welcome to the new PApl8s.com! Primary navigation is at the top of the website, which stays visible as you scroll down each page. The only pages that are currently redesigned are this homepage, the Highs pages, and the 2023 Archives page. It is optimized for mobile devices also! There is much work to be done to bring this great website to today's coding standards but it is being worked on! Be sure to click on the thumbnail pictures below to see some new tech!
Speaking of new tech, be sure to check out the Highs page to see the new search feature!
John Clark sends in this pair of Friends of Drake Well plates, the bottom one being a new observed high number. He notes that these were issued over a year apart yet they are consecutive numbers. Check all the current highs on our Highs page!
Nick Tsilakis sends in this #1 Pennsylvania DUI Association plate. He notes that he saw the same plate back in 2016.
Here's a personalized Delaware Valley Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America plate sent in by Jordan Irazabal. I believe it also holds the title of the longest legend on a PA plate!
Brayden Harnish sends in this picture-perfect shot of a Pennsylvania Equine Council plate. It also happens to be a new high number.
This personalized In God We Trust plate was sent in by Dallis Broderick. A few years ago, PennDOT started allowing personalization on most plate types for an additional fee. This is one such example.
Temporary plates are almost at 4000-000! Jordan Irazabal sends in this image of a new observed high number. We will start seeing 4000-000 series plates anyday now!