GENERAL DISPLAYS Highs Page | Antique, Classic, etc. | Bus, Limo, Taxi, etc. | Dealer & MV Business | Misc. Plates | Official Plates | Political Plates | Veterans Plates SPECIALTY & SPECIAL ORG. College, University, etc. | Fire, EMS & Police | Fraternal, Non-Profit, etc. | NASCAR | Special Fund Plates | Pending/Proposed Plates UNUSUAL & UNIQUE PLATES Governor Plates | Mystery, Oddballs, etc. | Special Event Plates | Front Plates | Group Displays | Older plates in use REFERENCE Old Documents | Legislation | Plate Codes | Plate Hist A-F | Plate Hist G-M | Plate Hist N-Z | Plate Hist Pass 1 | Plate Hist Pass 2 | Plate Hist Trk | Plate Hist Spec Org | Stickers | Links ARCHIVED HOME PAGES BY YEAR 2022 | 2021 | Older Archives Archived news and postings from 2021 12/26/2021 Posting Website Announcement Effective with this week's update, I've had to split the Passenger Plate History Page into 2 sections. The software I use is old and has weaknesses necessitating this change. I will leave the old Passenger Plate History Page in place for now, but there will be no updates beyond today. So starting today the Passenger Plate History Page has been split into two new pages as listed below. > Passenger Plate History 1, covering Pre-state up through 1936. > Passenger Plate History 2, covering 1937 up through the present.
This is a personalized Street Rod plate. The photo was taken by John Anshant and shows a Mini Cooper with such a plate. PennDOT requires eligible vehicles to be a model year of 1948 or older. It's also the first personalized Street Rod plate spotted, which was not an option until the new redundant format hit the street in late 2016. Serial numbered plates are in the 7000S/R series. This plate also has the map outline which has not been seen so far on serial numbered plates.
Here is a couple of recently spotted Municipal Government plates. These plates are now into the N-suffix series. Plates on the visitPA - "family of plates" base were first seen in early February of 2017, with the starting point being MG-9000J. The far left plate is thanks to Bruce Bufalini, while the other plate is from Preston Turner.
Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you — it's a movie prop. This screen shot was provided by Bill Young and is from the 2010 movie "The next three days". Such plates are generally easy to spot by anyone familiar with PA plates.
Still on the road! Here's a '77 base vanity plate spotted by Bruce Bufalini. Plate check shows that the registration number is still valid. Click the vanity page link to see this week's display.
It may be a little hard to read, but this is a 1940 Commercial Motorcycle plate. These were only issued for 12 years between 1938 and 1949, and are quite rare. Plate formatting was the same from year to year with the exception of the color rotation which was the same as passenger plates. Still need images for 1945 and 1947. This image came from Worthpoint.
This 1965 to '70 plate was likely issued to a cabinet member. At the time, plates between 3 and 23 were reserved for members of the Governor's cabinet. The plate appears to have no wear marks around the bolt holes, and no validation stickers. This photo came from Worthpoint.
Here are a couple of what might be described as single-letter 1977 Passenger vanity plates. They don't appear to have any wear marks around the bolt holes, and no validation stickers. The photos are thanks to Jeff Lesher.
Neither of these plates correspond to any issued plates. The far left plate photo is from Jeff Lesher, the other photo was from my own collection. Both plates show a base etched with 71. Both plates also use a School Bus serial number format, while the Bicentennial State legend at the bottom was only used on passenger and a few related plates such as Handicapped, Amateur Radio, and a few others, never a School Bus.
12/19/2021 Posting Merry Christmas This past year our nation has faced political discord, economic challenges and an ever-changing health dilemma. Let's hope and pray that things improve in the coming year. On the brighter side, I want to thank those who have helped support this website.
This is a new high U.S. Military Airborne Units plate thanks to Jordan Irazabal. This plate type dates back to 2013 with a starting point of 20001M/A. So far no map outline on the serial numbered plates, but it has been seen on a later personalized plate.
This Wilkes University Alumni plate is part of a two-tiered numbering system. When the original yellow on blue plates were replaced in 2001, they were reissued on the www base and on a number for number basis ending at W/U20409. When later plates were issued, the series jumped ahead to W/U21000. The plate shown here is thanks to Rob Baran. This two-tiered system was common for organizational plates that originated on the yellow on blue base.
See this and another weekly assortment of personalized plates on this week's vanity display. At the end of 2020 PA had 251,746 personalized plates registered. The counties with the most are Montgomery and Allegheny with over 18,000 each. The county with the fewest is Cameron with only 88 such plates.
This is a low number 1941 Motorcycle plate from Worthpoint. The serial sequence ran from 1 to 9999, then continued as an alpha-numeric serial. All such plates measured 4½ inches by 8 inches. These Motorcycle plates use M/C stacked on the right and are very similar to Motorbike plates which used M/B stacked on the right.
This is a 1936 R-Weight Class Truck plate from Worthpoint. Class R is the lightest truck class. Eric Tanner lists the high for this plate class as R20-08B. This plate measures 6 inches by 15 inches, although 5-character plates were 6 inches by 12 inches.
This is a 1947 Z-Weight Class Truck plate. The photo is thanks to Clayton Moore. The heavier weight truck classes are always a challenge to find. These plates measured 6 inches by 11 inches. Anyone have any double-letter heavy truck classes?
These are both 1928 Plates, made of aluminum, a departure from the typical steel. Only the raised characters are painted blue, the remainder of the plate is unpainted aluminum. Based upon that, I'm leaning toward calling them test plates rather than samples. The far left plate, which was provided by Jeff Lesher, could also be a 1928 S-Weight Class Truck test plate. The 000-000 plate was previously posted, and was courtesy of John Willard.
For the past several weeks I have been adding Special Event plates. Both of these are Pennsylvania International Air Show plates from 1984 and 1985 They are cardboard plates that were only valid for a few days. The photos are courtesy of John Anshant and John Willard respectively.
12/12/2021 Posting
This past week marked the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor with a huge loss of life. 2,403 military and civilians did not survive, a high cost for such a plate. It's doubtful that any Pearl Harbor Survivor plates are still being issued, however, the plate is still listed as available, but seldom seen on the road today.
While reviewing PennDOT’s plate availability page listing (all?) of the Special Organization plate types, both the Blue Knights Int'l Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club and the Fraternal Order of Police are listed twice. A deeper dive revealed that both groups now also offer a Motorcycle plate. The formatting is expected to be 0000B/K and F/P0000 respectively. So far no plates have been issued. We’ve known for a while that the International Assn of Fire Fighters also offers a MC plate, and so far no prototypes or plates have been spotted.
Also on the PennDOT page that lists Specialty plates (not special organization), they are mistakenly listing organizational plates. A while back they listed the West Lake Fire Department, now they are also listing the Eddington Fire Company. West Lake appears to have 7 plates in use, while Eddington appears to have 3 plates in use. Hey, PennDOT you're listing these plates on the wrong page!
There almost seems to be a proliferation of personalized plates across the whole spectrum where such plates are permitted. Of course there are certain plate types where personalized plates are not available. For starters, plates that continue to be issued on the old www base are generally not available for personalization. Also the cost of personalized plates can vary widely from a low of $67.00 for Disabled Veteran and Person w/ Disability plates and up to $196 for Antique and Classic plates. Thanks to Mike Alfonse for the photo. Be sure to check this week's vanity page for a variety of personalized plates.
Here is a very nice #1 Fraternal Association of Professional Paramedics plate. These date back to late 2015 which explains the presence of the sticker well. Plates at least as high as 00017A/P still had the sticker well, however, 00042A/P has the map outline. Thanks to Bruce Sakson for the photo.
This is a Springfield Fire Company plate that was recently spotted by Bill Young. Springfield's plate program also came on board in 2015. Springfield Fire Company is located in Delaware County. Plate check indicates that the current high is 30025S/F.
Here is a recent shot of a California University (of Pennsylvania) plate. This plate sets a new high on plates still retaining the sticker well. 00257C/U does not have the sticker well. In July of 2022 California, Clarion University and Edinboro University will merge or consolidate to form Pennsylvania Western University, or Penn West. Each of the facilities has a plate program, and at this point it is unknown what this merger will do to their programs.
This is a new high Disabled Veteran plate thanks to Jordan Irazabal. This Disabled Veteran plate retains most of its original design, while Severely Disabled Veteran plates have been spotted recently on the visitPA "family of plates" look. So far this has not been seen on these Disabled Veteran plates but you know it's coming.
Here is a new high PennDOT Official Use plate thanks to Mike Alfonse. You may recall that there are also Official Use plate designations belonging to the PA Turnpike, and a generic series for other commonwealth-owned vehicles. In additions, all three types use one serial format for passenger vehicles and another for trucks. It should be noted that other state agencies have the option of using their own logo, however, only PennDOT and the PA Turnpike have opted to do this so far.
The far left 1928 Passenger plate is from the LicensePlateKingCompany and appears to be a 6-character sample; however, previously this 3-character sample was posted. These plates measure 6" by 15" and 6" by 10" respectively. Was the 6-character plate also a sample, or could it have been a test plate?
Here are two more Special Event temporary plates on heavy cardstock. The far left is a The Bell Atlantic/St. Christopher's Classic from 1989, held at the Chester County Country Club in Malvern, from May 10-14, 1989. The second plate is a 2003 Mellon Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational held at The Club At Nevillwood from June 1 to June 10, 2003. The first plate is thanks to Jeff Lesher, the source of the other plate is unknown.
12/5/2021 Posting
This is a brand new Friends of Valley Forge Park plate from Bill Koneski. This plate type dates back to 2007. The use of the small map outline was first seen on 000104V/F, with 000089V/F still retaining the sticker well.
Here is a new high Mass Transit plate which was recently spotted by Jesse Hunley. The small map outline can be traced back to M/T48739 by photos, a check of a warehouse inventory shows a new batch starting at M/T48700, making that the logical starting point. Mass Transit plates made their debut in 1977 according to one source, however, a different source says 1982. Jake Eckenrode's "Collector's Guide to PA License Plates" from 1983 makes no mention of them. Anyone know for sure? At the time, they were blue on yellow with the serial numbers starting at M/T10000.
Here is a new high Repair Towing plate, thanks to Bill Young. These have had the map outline since RT-70900. This series started in about 1984 as Repair/Service Towing, when the old M.V. Business series was split into four groups, the largest of which was Repair/Service Towing. The other three included Salvage Yard, Transporter and Repossessor.
These Flagship Niagara plates marked a pair of milestones in their serial number progressions. The far left plate is a recent traffic shot from Matt Ciecka and shows the highest all-numeric plate. The other photo from Tom Perri goes back about 10 years, and shows the highest plate issued. These plate were only issued for a short time between 11/1995 and 2/1997. This plate type was discontinued due to visibility problems, but is still eligible for renewal. The actual vessel "Flagship Niagara" has quite a history, link below. A look inside the historic Flagship Niagara - Bing video
This is a personalized Severely Disabled Veteran plate recently spotted by Jordan Irazabal. The difference on the plates between Disabled Veteran and Severely Disabled Veteran is the use of the wheelchair symbol. A few months back a new version of the Severely Disabled Veteran was spotted. This latest iteration sadly features the 'family of plates' look plus the wheelchair symbol with D V above it, much as P D is used on Person with Disability plates. Check out this week's vanity page.
Here is a very nice first generation Implement of Husbandry plate photo from Jeff Lesher. The plate appears to be unused. This plate type dates back to about 1984 with the starting point being IMP-0000 or IMP-0001. The highest known plate on this base is IMP-2167. As a point of information in 1999 there were only 209 Implement of Husbandry plates registered, and in 2020, there were 175. These plates are very seldom seen. I think in many cases where a plate was issued, it never gets mounted on the vehicle. These numbers do not include Commercial Implement of Husbandry plates.
Here is a nice run of low numbered first generation Notary Public plates. The actual starting point was N/P00001 and the year would have been 1984. The 10 and 11 plate photos are thanks to Bruce Bufalini. The 12 plate is thanks to Jeff Lesher. A little trivia . . . In 2000 when this series was replaced, those with N/P0001 through N/P0010 had the opportunity to keep the same tag number. N/P00003, N/P00004, N/P00005, and N/P00006 were remade on the WWW base; and as of 2/21/16 only NP00004 and NP00006 were active plates. Today only N/P00004 is active. Other NP tags on the www base were in the 30000 series.
This is the earliest Golf Tournament plate I've seen, and would be considered a special event plate. Thanks to Jeff Lesher for the photo. The 1962 National Open is screen printed in heavy Plexiglas and painted white on the back. It was valid for the period June, 14 - 16 of that year.
Here's another special event plate, also thanks to Jeff Lesher. This plate uses the more familiar heavy cardstock. This plate was for Ground Hog Day, February 2, 2002 in Punxsutawney and expired the next day. According to Jeff, the plate was registered to a Punxsutawney bus company. I'm not aware of any other groundhog day special event plates issued for other years.
11/28/2021 Posting
Please make up your mind Flyers. In 2006 the plate program was launched as Flyers Wives Charities, then in 2017 new plates read Flyers Wives Charity not Charities, then later the word Charities reappeared. Now we have a brand new plate photo from Bill Koneski reading Flyers Charities. What happened to their Wives? For what it's worth, their website reads Flyers Charities. Hey, it's all part of what keeps the hobby interesting.
This Friends of Drake Well, Inc. plate is a new high from John Clark. Not sure what the previous high was, but according to the ALPCA Archives it was 00035D/W. This plate does have the map outline which was not seen previously. This plate program dates back to 2008.
These Pennsylvania Hunting Heritage plates appear to have sold well, at least judging by the current high of 01123H/T. The plate shown here is the first I've seen below 00140H/T. This plate type dates back to 2014. Thanks to Jeff Lawson for the picture.
Farm Truck plates were issued for the first time in 1977, with the starting point being FM-10000. These blue on yellow plates were issued up through 1983 with the series surpassing FM-47000. 1984 marked the start of the yellow on blue base. Thanks to Jeff Lesher for sharing this gem of a plate.
And not every Farm Truck uses a Farm Truck plate. The whole farm truck thing is a little complicated. The eye catching plate on the far left, while not official, is used to draw attention to the door stickers which are official. It also alerts law enforcement as to why there is no registration plate. This was spotted recently on an 18-wheeler hauling corn from a field. Such a vehicle can have regular truck plates, or Farm Truck plates, or an exemption as shown here. Farm Truck and exempt vehicles pay less, but generally also have travel restrictions.
This is a rare 1922 Motorbike plate. To differentiate between Motorbike and Motorcycle, Motorbike plates used the letter "O" as the first character from 1920, the first year for such plates, up through 1933. At least up through 1927 the letter O and the number 0 were the same size which makes earlier plates appear to be all numeric. Plates with O + 1 or 2 digits measured 4½ inches by 6 inches. Plates with O + 3 digits measured 4½ inches by 8 inches. These plates were brown on cream. Many thanks to John Willard for this photo.
This is also a quite rare, very low number 1924 Motorbike plate. Again the letter "O" precedes the serial number. And again this small plate measures 4½ inches by 6 inches. The colors are dark blue on yellow. This photo is also thanks to John Willard.
This is a 1925 Motorcycle plate. Plates started at 1 and ran to over 16,000. Those from 1 to 999, such as the plate shown here, measured 4½ inches by 6 inches. Plates with 4 or 5 digits measured 4½ inches by 8 inches. These plate were (originally) yellow on dark blue. This photo came from Worthpoint.
Previously I had a photo of this 1923 Motorcycle Dealer plate, however, this is a nicer photo and has replaced the earlier one. 1923 was the first year that Motorcycle Dealer plates are known, but they could possibly date back to 1920. From at least 1923 MC Dealer plates used the "X" prefix., and like the plates above two sizes were used depending on the number of characters in the serial number. Another thank you to John Willard for the photo.
This is a 1927 Motorcycle Dealer plate. Plate colors were originally yellow on dark blue. This plate measures 4½ inches by 8 inches. Another big thank you to John Willard for the photo.
This is a very low number Class R 1930 Truck plate. If you recall, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles departed from the established R through ZZ truck weight class system for 1930. Instead, 1930 truck plates used a 2-letter suffix to denote the weight class. Class R, as shown here, was assigned the progression of 00AA to 999FZ. Both 6" by 10" and 6" by 12" plates were used for 4 and 5 character serial numbers. Click the link to see more. Thanks to Jeff Lesher for sharing this plate photo.
11/21/2021 Posting Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Here is the latest Let Freedom Ring plate thanks to Bruce Saksom. These are considered optional plates and resulted from Act 48 of 2020, which paved the way for the creation of a Semiquincentennial registration plate, similar to the Bicentennial Plate, with the phrase “Let Freedom Ring - 250 years”, for issue up through 2026. They are eligible for use on a passenger car or a truck with a registered gross weight of not more than 14,000 pounds or a motor home. They are also available as Motorcycle plates.
Here is a recent Mario Lemieux Foundation photo from Bruce Bufalini. This plate helps to lower the changeover point for the addition of the map. In the past we listed 01680L/F as the low plate on the series with the map outline. This narrows the gap to between 01520L/F and the plate shown here.
This is a new high Apportioned (Truck) plate spotted recently. I've actually seen a couple plates in the AH-12000 series going by me on the road, but with the plates being front-mounted, it is nearly impossible to get a decent photo. Hope to find one parked. These plates have had the map since back in the AG-73000 series.
Here is the latest Support Your Zoo plate from Clayton Moore. It has been quite a while since I last posted one of these. Zoo plates date back to April 2013. It's a little surprising that this plate is still sporting a sticker well. According to the warehouse inventory report, these plates are ordered in lots of 1,000, so possibly the sticker well will be gone by the time the plates hit 06000P/Z.
Admittedly I don't track Passenger, Truck and Trailer highs as they change by the hour, but it's good to have an idea where the current serial progression stands. Bill Young shared this recent Passenger plate. Eventually this series will end at LZZ-9999 and the next series will begin at MBA-0000.
There are currently two serial formats in use for Vertical Motorcycle plates. The first is M0A0C to M9Z9C in which all serial numbers have been exhausted. The next series is also the current series which began at MA0AC. In both series the first and last characters, M & C do not advance. The MA1GC plate is a new low on the second series., while the MB9RC is a new series high. The second character, B, is the last to advance.
This appears to be an unused first generation Bucknell University plate. The Bucknell plate program dates back to 1998. This plate also replaces the previous series high of B/U20388. Bucknell is located in Lewisburg, PA. The photo came from Worthpoint.
This is a new high 1934 Passenger plate. The plate is part of Format 8 which ran from AA000 to the previous high of YG711, and now to YL795 as shown here. The plate was spotted by Eric Tanner and permission was given by the eBay seller Rocket4spd1v42.
Here are two PA Temporary Plates from Lady Keystone Open Golf Tournaments held in Hershey. These are special event plates. Both plates are made of heavy cardstock. The far left is from 1987 and was valid from June 15-22. The other is from 1990 and was valid from May 29 -June 3, 1990. These were generally used on courtesy cars associated with the golf tournaments. These photos are thanks to Jeff Lesher.
These Boat Registration Sticker photos were provided by Rich Gullo. According to the PA Fish and Boat Commission, "boat registrations are renewed on a 2-year cycle and expire on March 31 of the 2nd year". So if I understand correctly, the far left plate would be for use during 2009, and up to the 3-31-2010 expiration. The same would apply to the sticker for 18 sticker with the 19 expiration, and same with the 20-21 sticker.
11/14/2021 Posting With Veterans' Day this past week, we start with several Veterans' plates. Thank You to all who have served and sacrificed for this country. This past week also marked the 19th Anniversary of this website. Thanks to all who have played a part.
Here is a pair of Operation Enduring Freedom Veteran plates. I actually borrowed the 02056E/F plate photo from Tom Perri at PA Plates. While it is not a new photo, it is the highest spotted with the sticker well. The 02332E/F plate is a new high recently spotted by Jaska Börner. This plate now has the map outline in place of the sticker well.
Here is a new high Honoring Our Veterans Motorcycle plate. The plate and frame were curved to follow the contour of the rear fender, so the photo is as square as I could make it. These plates date back to 2015, and are part of the Special Fund series supporting the Veterans Trust Fund. Still have not seen a plate from the under-100 group. Plate availability tool indicated that H/V0001 to H/V0031 are registered. I suspect there are vanities in use as well.
These are two recent snapshots of Veteran Motorcycle plates. The far left is a standard issue, while the other is a personalized plate. The "V" is a required part of the serial number even on personalized plates. The application form, MV-150V, states that "A pre-printed letter configuration of “V” will precede your personalized configuration on your registration plate and cannot be changed." Also note that the legend VETERAN on the serial numbered plate is embossed, while it is screened on the personalized plate.
This nighttime street shot of a Person With Disability plate shows a new high, and when you consider that the dual-plate options uses the block from 98000PD to 99999PD, there aren't many numbers remaining before the series is exhausted. Fear not! The next series of plates will start at A0000PD.
Here is a new high Permanent Trailer plate as spotted by Bill Young. These plates made their debut in 1997 on the yellow on blue base with a PT-00000 serial format. On the www base the series started PA-0000A, then onto the visitPA (family of plates) base at PT-0000L. After hitting PT-9999Z, the prefix letter moved one space to the left.
Here's another new high, this one being a Trailer plate, thanks to Jaska Börner. Trailer plates have a long history going all the way back to 1914 - yes they were actually porcelain, and very rare. Trailer plates on the www base started at XK-00000, then in 2004 advanced to XBA-0000, then visitPA base at XCA-0000, and so forth.
While neither plate may not be much to look at, the 39-393 would be considered a new Class 3 (or B) high 1921 Commercial (Truck) plate. The 41-852 is regarded as the high for Class 4 (or C) 1921 Commercial (Truck) plate. Both plates measure 6 inches by 16 inches. The image source is Worthpoint.
This is a 1939 V Weight Class Truck plate. It appears that not many V class plates have survived from that year as there is no high listed for this class. The plates were yellow on blue and all measured 6 inches by 12 inches. My thanks to Bob Connison for this plate photo.
11/7/2021 Posting
Here is a new high Classic Vehicle plate photo from Richard Than. This series has been using the map outline since C40900, and the family of plates look along with the redundant Classic Vehicle since C27900. PennDOT's definers Classic as "A motor vehicle, but not a reproduction thereof, manufactured at least 15 years prior to the current year which has been maintained in or restored to a condition which is substantially in conformity with manufacturer specifications and appearance."
This personalized Appalachian Trail Conservancy plate was recently acquired by Jonathan Ortman. While these are popular as personalized plates, this is the first such plate photographed with the map outline. The current high serial numbered plate is A/T00410.
Here is the first image of a Keystone Elk Country Alliance plate, which was spotted by Nick Tsilakis. While this is a personalized plate, no serial numbered plates have been photographed so far. As of 11/1, plate check indicates that 32 serial numbered plates have been issued.
This Shippensburg University Alumni and the two plates above have all been personalized. This however, is the first Shippensburg vanity photographed, thanks to Jordan Irazabal. The Shippensburg plate program dates back to 1989, on the yellow on blue base.
Also check out the Vanity Plates page for additional personalized plates.
Here are two recent NRA Foundation plate photos - one a low number and the other a new high. Also, note the serial number and N/R/A spacing difference between the two plates. These organizational plates made their debut in 2011. The low number plate was a traffic shot of mine, while the high plate was thanks to Grant Koval.
I know next to nothing about these plates except for the obvious indication that they are Boat Dock Permits. Eric Tanner brought this matter to my attention as there had been the 1978 number 42 plate on eBay recently. I got the OK to use the photo from Smythe!, the seller. The other photos came from Worthpoint. It appears such plates date back at least as far as 1965 and as recently as 1978 with an '82 validation sticker. The plates measure about approx. 5½ or 5¾ as depicted in the one photo. Any help would be appreciated.
This is a 1918 Passenger plate. Plates were white on black painted steel. It is a new high on this website and is close to the recorded high of 371690. All plates above 100000 measured 6 inches by 16 inches. Thanks to Rob Baran for this plate photo.
This is a 1919 Passenger plate. Plates were red on black painted steel. It is a new high on this website and is close to the recorded high of 449444. All plates above 100000 measured 6 inches by 16 inches. Thanks to Rob Baran for this plate photo.
Here is a pair of first-year-issue 1914 Tractor plates. These are white on black porcelain plates. 1914 and 1915 were the only years that Tractor plates were issued in pairs. The pair shown here measure 6 inches by 12 inches; however three other sizes were issued depending on the number of characters in the serial number. The letter "E" stood for Engine. Click the link above to see other plates and sizes. Thanks to Tim Gierschick for the photo and for his dedication to PA Tractor plates.
Because of the war effort, there were restrictions on domestic steel usage. As a result, PA limited license plates to small black on red steel tabs with a keystone and the year 43 and 3-31-44 expiry within the keystone. These were placed over the 1942 plate. There was also a small serial number lightly stamped below the 3-31-44, this tab reads TR7006, indicating that was for a Tractor plate. Tabs measured 1⅞" x 2⅛". Another thanks to Tim Gierschick for the photo.
10/31/2021 Posting To all my friends, contributors and fellow plate enthusiasts, I am in the process of transitioning from a well-used Windows 7 PC to a new Windows 10 laptop. So far the transition has been anything but smooth. So if you see errors, omissions and the like, please bring it to my attention. This process may take several weeks. On the plus side, this website will be 19 years old on November 12.
While these Camp Papillon Animal Shelter plates have only been around since June 2019, they have been impossible to find, up till now. Thanks to John Clark, we have a picture of one hot off the press. Vanity check shows that there are only 11 such serial-numbered plates issued. Of course there could be vanities.
Here is photo of a new high In God We Trust plate. These plates made their debut back in 2014. This plate is considered an optional plate or a specialty plate, not unlike the Teen Driver plate (from 2013), and the Let Freedom Ring plate (from 2020). The plate shown here is still using the sticker well. Plates are also available as vanities. Thanks to Bruce Bufalini for the photograph.
Here is a personalized Antique Vehicle plate thanks to John Clark. The rules regarding such personalized plates indicate that "up to FOUR letters and/or numbers in combination are permitted. If a hyphen or space is used as part of the registration configuration, it counts as one of the available spaces for personalization." So according to this, 4 letters + a space = 5 places, one over the limit.
Also check out the Vanity Plates page for additional personalized plates.
This is a new high Pennsylvania Hunting Heritage plate also thanks to John Clark. These plates possibly date back as far as 2014, but definitely in use by mid-2015.
Here is a new high Ruffed Grouse Society plate from John Clark. This plate type dates back to 2005. The ALPCA Archives lists R/G00131 as the current high, and still with the sticker well. The plate shown here has the map outline. Anyone have a plate or photo of a plate between 131 and 159?
Here's a late arrival, but a great find in that it clarifies the formatting of the new "Family of Plates" Severely Disabled Veteran plates. Jonathan W. Sternthal took this street shot. It appears that the plate serial numbers are being recycled. The previous edition would have started at D/V80000, and this new edition appears to be starting at 80000DV.
Here is a new high Official Use Truck plate. These are used by state agencies other than PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike who have their own agency-specific plates. Official Use passenger vehicles plates using the coat of arms, have only recently come into use. They are formatted such as 42000P/A.
This 1938 Dealer plate was spotted on eBay by Eric Tanner and being offered by Fabboss7. Eric notes that this is not only a new high, but that it is the first (earliest) use of the "X" in the 4th position. This plate measures 6 inches by 10 inches; however if plates extended to 1000X or above, the size would be 6 inches by 12 inches.
Speaking of Boat stickers, here is a pair of 1997 stickers with a 3/31/98 expiration date. These stickers are labeled UNPOWERED. The image came from Worthpoint. Some sticker years indicate powered or unpowered. Still in need of stickers showing the following years: 1964 through ’79, ’93, ’94 through ’97, ’99 through ’05, and ’07 and ’08. Also need better images of 2009 and 2010, if anyone can help. Thanks.
10/24/2021 Posting
This is a personalized West Manchester Twp. Fire Dept. plate. This plate has been spotted by Tiger Joe Sallmen and Brandon Sowers. West Manchester's plate program dates back to 2010. The reported high is 00033W/M.
You are not seeing double. The photo of this pair of Person with Disability plates was provided by John Clark. The provision allowing two plates dates from 12/2014. Vehicle owners who have a device on the rear of the vehicle for carrying a wheelchair or personal assistive device are authorized to be issued two plates since the assistive device and carrier may block visibility of the vehicle mounted plate. Such plates can also be personalized, as seen here. It may be worth mentioning that a previous issue of a plate with the same registration number was spotted by Tom Perri in June of 2017 with a validation sticker. Same owner.
Also check out the Vanity Plates page for additional personalized plates.
A new section is being added called Boat Dock Permit. Will be adding several photos next week. These are believed to have been initially issued by the PA Dept. of Forests & Waters, and later by Environmental Resources. If anyone has any info on these or any photos, please let me know.
The use of the letter "X" was generally an indication of a Dealer plate. Most Dealer plates between 1911 and 1929 had the "X" in the first position. Not so beginning in 1930 where the '"X" could be in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd position, as seen here on this 1933 Format 3 Dealer plate. Click the link to see more details. Thanks to Clayton Moore for the image.
Certainly not an every-day plate, this is a low number 1933 Motor Boat License, thus the MBL. This plate type dates back to 1931, and from then up through 1936 the plates measured 6 inches by 12 inches and used a beveled edge. Thanks to Tiger Joe Sollmen for the photo.
Easy to identify this 1923 Tractor plate. Plate serial numbers started at E1 and ran at least as high at E4-304. All plates are believed to measure 6 inches by 16 inches. Tractor plates used the E-prefix from the earliest 1914 plates up through 1927, after which E was needed for Passenger plates. 1923 was the last year for the word Tractor to be used as part of the legend, it returned again in 1934. Thanks to Tim Gierschick for the photo.
Next up is this 1927 Tractor plate, still identifiable by the E prefix, but missing the word Tractor. The series high is a E4-199. Two plate sizes were used that year, 6 inches by 10 inches for plates up to E999, and 6 by 13 for E1-000 and above. Thanks to Tim Gierschick for the photo.
Here are some fine examples of 1964 base heavy truck plates. The plate with the YZ prefix is for a 3-axle truck, meaning a vehicle with 2 rear axles + 1 front axle. This series ran from RZ to ZZ for lightest to heaviest within the 3-axle group. The YX prefix is for a 4-axle truck, meaning a vehicle with 3 rear axles + 1 front axle. Many thanks to Jeff Lesher for sharing these photos and many other recent posts.
10/17/2021 Posting
This is a personalized Classic Vehicle plate with one thing missing. And that would be the required "C" as part of the registration number. PennDOT's own application form, MV-11, states that a pre-printed letter configuration of “C” will precede your personalized configuration on your registration plate and cannot be changed. This is not the first plate without the required "C". That said, thanks to Noel Torchio for the photo.
Here is a new high Municipal Government plate from Bill Young. These plates on the graphic base started at MG-9000J. The next series will be MG-0000M, followed by MG-0000N.
This is a pair of 1946 and 1947 Motorized Bicycle or Motorbike plates for short. This plate series ran from 1920 to 1949. The 1946 plate is a new high. Thanks to Brandon Sowers for the images. Many early (1920 to 1932) MB plate photos are still needed. In 1977 a new issue came out called Moped or Motorized Pedalcycle, a modern-day equivalent to the early Motorbike.
Here is a 100-year old Tractor plate thanks to Tim Gierschick. In 1921 there were two serial formats, E1 to E999, without a dash, and E1-000 to E4-163 or above. All Tractor plates that year measured 6 inches by 16 inches regardless of the number of characters. I believe Tim is also planning to refinish this plate.
This very nice 1952 Tractor plate represents a new series high. The initial series started at 0001 and ran to 9999, then the alpha-numeric series started at A000 and extended at least as high as the plate shown here. This plate measures 6 inches by 11 inches and is thanks to Tim Gierschick.
This is a 1939 Y-Weight Class Truck plate. This picture came from a group shot of plates that Jeff Lesher was getting ready to take to Hershey. Unfortunately, I was unable to make the trek to Hershey. The Y class, as you may know, is a heavy weight single (rear) axle class, one step below the Z Class. Plate measures 6 inches by 12 inches.
Here is a 1941 Y-Weight Class Truck plate. It came from the same Jeff Lesher group shot mentioned above. 1941 was the first year for the plate expiration date to be shown on the top border of the plate. It read "EXP. 3-31-42". Again Plate measures 6 inches by 12 inches.
These great images came from Jeff Lesher, and are part of the 1964 to '67 3-Axle Truck Series. This means trucks with 2-rear axles and 1 front axle. The 3-axle truck series ran from the RZ, for the lightest class, to the heaviest ZZ-series. Check back next week for a couple more plates.
10/10/2021 Posting
Throughout the summer we have seen these Antique Vehicle plates advance well into the E series. As previously described, and with most of PA's plates, numbers advance first, then the letter in the 4th position, then the 3rd spot and finally the letter in the 1st position. It appears that E2SV is the current registered high.
This is a personalized Penn Alumni plate from Bruce Bufalini. The second character appears to be the letter "O", not a zero, based on its smaller size. This is the first Penn Alumni vanity spotted with the map outline. I've said this before, but the use of a plate frame that completely covers up the name of the organization doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
Also check out the Vanity Plates page for additional personalized plates.
CORRECTION 10/21, previously had the wrong plate displayed. Here's a low number South Newton Twp Vol Fire Co plate photographed by Bill Ceravola. This plate program dates back to 2009, with an issued high of 00012S/A. South Newton is located in Walnut Bottom, which is part of Cumberland County in south central PA.
This is a Format 2A Washington & Jefferson College plate. When the first generation yellow on blue plates were replaced, they were reissued on a number for number basis on the www base, the series ended at W/J00673. Then when new first time plates were issued on the www base, the series skipped ahead to W/J01200. Click the link to see more. Thanks to Rob Baran for the plate photo.
While looking through some old plate-related items, I came across a full page display of motorcycle plates on pegboard. I'm fairly certain the source was Jake Eckenrode. Unfortunately, my photo was low resolution. Anyway, I will add some of these images such as this 1918 3-digit Motorcycle plate shown here. The color was white on black and measured 4½" by 6".
Next up is this 1921 3-digit Motorcycle plate, similar story to the plate above. This dark blue on orange steel plate also measures 4½ inches by 6 which to my knowledge are almost the smallest state-issued plate size, although 2 and 3 digit 1915 and possibly 1914 MC plates measured 4½ inches by 5½.
Same story as above with this 1937 alpha-numeric Motorcycle plate. Color is yellow on dark blue. The high on this series is believed to be C150.
This is a 1951 Z-Weight Class Truck plate. This plate represent the heaviest weight class single (rear) axle truck. This plate is also the series high; previous high was listed as Z315H. This plate measures 6 inches by 11 inches, and was the final year for pairs. Thanks to Jeff Lesher for the photo.
Next up is this 1953 Y-Weight Class Truck plate. This plate represents the first of two Y-class serial progressions. This first being Y000A, as shown here, and the other being Y00A0. 1953 saw the reduction in plate size from 6" by 11 to 6" by 10¼", and plates were issued as singles. Thanks to Jeff Lesher for the photo.
The final truck plate for this week is this 1956 Y-Weight Class. This plate represents the first of two Y-class serial progressions. This one being Y000A, and the other being Y00A0. 1956 was a year of transition, not only did the plate size become standardized at 6 inches by 12 inches, there were also three map bases and three die sets used. There was also a shift to 6-character plates near the end of the R-series. These 6-character plates were a preview of what the 1957 truck plates would look like. Click the link to read and see more. Another thank you to Jeff Lesher for the photo.
10/3/2021 Posting
Here is the latest high Person with Disability Motorcycle plate thanks to Bruce Bufalini. Unlike the Person with Disability plate for passenger vehicles, the PD on Motorcycle plates is not part of the registration number. The larger embossed P is part of the number but is a static, non-advancing character. The current registered high is P15Y which raises the question of what happens after reaching P99Z. My guess is P0A0.
This is a personalized Eagle Scout plate that was recently spotted by Jordan Irazabal. This plate type only dates back to 2019, with this being the first personalized spotted. At the present time 25 serial numbered plates have been issued.
Also check out the Vanity Plates page for more personalized plates.
This is a new high Friendship Hook, Ladder, Hose & Ambulance plate which was spotted by Mike Alfonse. The plate appears that it had a validation sticker at one time. Plate check indicates that the registered high is 10014F/F. The organization is located in Royersford, PA.
This is an Amateur Radio test plate recently acquired by Matt Ciecka. The unpainted legend suggests a test plate. Click to enlarge the first image and note the use of the security hologram with the word VALID diagonally across the letters B and C. I've only ever once before seen an Amateur Radio sample plate, and that was on a yellow on blue base.
Here is a first generation Drexel University Alumni plate recently spotted by Bill Young. This plate was probably issued in the mid-90s but is still going strong. Vanity check shows that the registration number is current, which likely suggests that the replacement plate with the same number was never mounted on the vehicle.
Those of us with an interest in license plates are known to seek out the resources of Automotive Museums. I was contacted by Mark Johansson who has put together an interactive map of the U.S. showing the locations of all auto museums with addresses, phone number, and website if available. Mark's website also contains other resources including a large number of driving sample tests, as well as road signs, if you’re looking to brush up on rules of the road. His website is https://drivingtestsample.com/us-automobile-museums-map/ For future reference it will be linked on this site on the page called Historic Documents Page, under Reference Websites.
This is a Format 3, 1935 Dealer plate. 1935 saw a return to the use of the letter "X" to designate a Dealer plate. For that year there were three serial progressions, Format 1 from X1 to X9999, then Format 2 from 0X to 9X999, and Format 3 from 00X to 52X88. Each succeeding progression shifted the "X" one space to the right. Plates with 4 or fewer characters measured 6" by 10" like the one shown here, while 5-character plates were 6" by 12". Thanks to Brandon Sowers for the use of this photo.
A while back Rob Baran provided the far left 1936 V-Weight Class Truck plate. Then just recently sent the photo of the near left plate. These are sequential plates being one number apart. He got these two as a pair, and is planning to do some refinishing or restoring. The V480C is also the highest known in V-weight class.
Here is a pair of 1948 Y- and Z-Weight Class Truck plates. These represent the heaviest weight class single (rear) axle trucks. The Y-Class plate is also the series high. These plates measured 6 inches by 11 inches, and were issued in pairs. Thanks to Jeff Lesher for sharing these plate photos.
This is a 1949 Z-Weight Class Truck plate. As mentioned above, this is the heaviest weight class single (rear) axle truck plate. This plate is also a new high. These plates measured 6 inches by 11 inches, and were issued in pairs. Thanks to Jeff Lesher for sharing so many photos of plates from his collection.
9/26/2021 Posting
The far left Amateur Radio plate photo was taken back in May of 2009, the near left plate was taken this past weekend. The -1 and -2 are not part of the call sign but allow two vehicles to be registered using the same call sign.
Here is another Antique Vehicle high. This current series uses the most confusing serial progression. As previously described, and with most of PA's plates, numbers advance first, then the letter in the 4th position, then the 3rd spot and finally the letter in the 1st position.
Here is a new high Marine Corps League plate recently spotted by Bruce Bufalini. Bruce notes that this plate clearly does not have the sticker box. That feature was still present on the previous high of M/L02882. Vanity check shows the current issued high at M/L02918.
Preston Turner reports seeing one of the new style Municipal Motorcycle plates in use on a Pittsburgh Police bike. The serial number was M/G30G. He was unable to get a photo. Records show that the previous style of plate, which was white on blue with the embossed map outline border, ended at MG99E. The suffix F series was skipped, now the G-series runs from M/G05G to M/G45G.
The far left Limerick Fire Company plate photo shows the highest number spotted before the plate received a new logo and name — now Limerick Fire Department. According to their website, in 2018 the Linfield Volunteer Fire Company merged with the Limerick Fire Company. Its name was changed to the Limerick Fire Department and the county station number changed from 54 to 51 resulting in a new logo. The far left photo is courtesy Tom Perri, center and right-hand photos courtesy of Mike Alfonse.
Here is a link to the Vanity Page where an assortment of personalized plates are posted each week. This week's plates include the plate shown here from Jim McDevitt. This is believed to be a vanity with the addition of the state coat of arms hat badge by the owner. Other plates on the Vanity Page are from Bill Ceravola and Arthur Levine.
Here is a 1930 Format 5 Passenger plate. Format 5 consisted of the serial progression of 000A to 999Z9. So both 4 and 5 character plates were issued. Then realized that I needed a 4-character plate. This 6-inch by 10-inch shortie came from Worthpoint. Still need images of 1930 Passenger with 0AA and 1AA0 serial formats.
This 1932 Format 3 Passenger shortie is thanks to Jeff Lesher. This series went from 0A to 9Z999. So the series started with 2-character plates and extended to 5 characters. 2, 4 and 5-character plates were 6 inches by 10 inches, and 5-character plates were 6 inches by 12 inches.
Like the 1921 Class 7 Truck plate displayed last week, this 1922 is also a Class 7 or Class F Truck plate. This was a continuation of the weight designation system used between 1920 and 1923 where weight classes were identified by the first digit of the plate serial number. Classes ranged from 1 to 7 (or AA through F), and plate size was 6" by 16". Thanks to Jeff Lesher for this photo.
Next up is this 1924 R-Weight Class Truck plate. Starting in 1924 the more familiar truck weight classes of R through Z came about. Most classes had R through Z in the prefix position; however, after the R-class reached R99-999, the R was moved to the suffix position and the count ran from 1-R to 2011-R. This plate measures 6" by 12". The plate shown here from Jeff Lesher is an example of an R-suffix plate.
And finally this shortie 1927 R-Weight Class Truck plate with a low serial number. This series ran from R-1 to R99-999, and the overflow group from 1-R to 84-44R. This plate measures 6" by 10", there were also 6" by 13" and 6" by 15" plates depending on the number of characters in the serial number. Thanks again to Jeff Lesher for this photo.
9/19/2021 Posting
This Fire Fighter plate was recently spotted by Bruce Bufalini. While it is a few plates shy of the current high of FF39006, it's the highest plate where the sticker well can be verified. According to vanity check, the current issued high is FF39160.
Here is a U.S. Submarine Veterans Inc. vanity plate spotted by John Fedorchak. This is an organizational plate, rather than a Veterans' plate. This plate type dates back to 2006.
Here is an Antique Vehicle vanity from a recent car show in Macungie. Antique Vehicle registrations have seen quite a proliferation in recent years. For example, in 1999 there were 78,681 vehicles registered, and as of the end of 2020 there were 209,425. At the present, personalized registrations cost an additional $112. The current serial high is E1HF.
Want more vanities? Here is a link to the Vanity Page where an assortment of personalized plates are posted each week. This week's plates are from Bill Ceravola and Arthur Levine.
Here is a new high Permanent Trailer plate from Jaska Börner. This was spotted on a horse trailer. It's a little tough to see here, but this series has been using the map outline since about PT-500D0. Here's a link to the history of these plates that dates back to 1997.
This is a 1921 Class 7 or Class F Truck plate. This was the heaviest weight class plate for 1921, and was part of a weight designation system used between 1920 and 1923 where weight classes were identified by the first digit of the plate serial number. Classes ranged from 1 to 7, and plate size was 6" by 16". Thanks to Jeff Lesher for this photo.
These are all 1925 truck plates. Many thanks to Jeff Lesher for sharing so many photos of his plate collection.
Beginning in 1924 a new system to identify truck weight classes was established. It consisted of eight (8) weight classes from R to Z, skipping over the X which was reserved for Dealer plates. The first letter in the plate serial numbers denoted the weight class as shown here in the first two and last two plates. These plates measure 6 inches by 10 inches. Such low numbered plates are very rare. Each of the series started with the weight class letter followed by a serial progression such as R-1 to R99-999. In addition, the R-class even had overflow plates where the R was shown in the suffix position as seen in the middle two plates. Those plates measure 6 inches by 12 inches, and 6 by 13 inches respectively.
These photos show the front and reverse sides of a 1943 Validation Tab for a Y-weight class truck plate. These tabs measured 1⅞" by 2⅛", and were made of steel. There is a serial number of up to 5 characters (for trucks) made up of an alpha character and 4 digits, with the alpha character corresponding to the weight class prefix. Thanks to Clayton Moore for the photos.
9/12/2021 Posting
Here is a new high number U.S. Air Force Veteran plate. This plate series dates back to 2009, with the starting point of 20011A/F. These plates have used the map outline at least as far back as 22932A/F. Thanks to Bruce Bufalini for the photo.
The following highs, without pictures, have also been reported by Bruce Bufalini. U.S. Army (Active Duty), 00068A/D Dealer, K65-253K Emergency Vehicle, EV-72821 Passenger: LTV-7657 Truck, ZTG-3217
#1 plates are always special. Here is a photo of the number one In God We Trust plate thanks to Brandon Sowers. These plates date back to 2014. This is actually the only low number plate documented so far. From the start this plate type appeared to be using 2-tiered system where standard issue plates started at G/T00130, and the low number plates were held in reserve. There are currently only about a dozen or so plates between G/T00001 and G/T00129. I have inquired in the past about this practice, and found out that transparency in government does not apply.
Speaking of #1 plates, here's the first Eagle Scout plate issued. Back on 8/22 we had the first photo of such a plate. These plates date back to 2019, and as of 9/10, there were only 25 serial numbered plates in use. Thanks to Stephen Noll for the photo.
Here is a link to the Vanity Page where an assortment of personalized plates are posted each week. This week's plates are from Bill Ceravola, Howard Kelly and Arthur Levine.
This is a Format 6 Antique Motorcycle plate. These white on purple plates were issued between 1967 and 2013. While this style is no longer being issued, these are still in use and common at motorcycle events. Format 6 indicates that there have been several variations of legend placement, hole spacing, serial formatting, etc. prior to this plate. This photo is thanks to Matt Ciecka.
This is a Classic Motorcycle plate. This plate type dates back to 1994 but are much rarer than the Antique Motorcycle plate. This, like the plate above measures, 4½ inches by 8 inches, and is still a valid format, although newer plates follow the family of plates format. This photo is also thanks to Matt Ciecka.
This is one of Pennsylvania's rarest plates. How many have actually seen one of these on the road, or in the field? This is a low number Implement of Husbandry plate thanks to Bryan Hummel. Like the SME plate below, these plates date back to 1984. The highest known plate on this base is IMP-2167. Today there seems to be fewer such plates in use. For calendar year 2020 there were only 175 such plates registered. By comparison for 2020, there were only 57 Commercial Implement of Husbandry vehicles registered. Fewer plates, but easier to spot on the road.
This is the lowest number Special Mobile Equipment plate I've seen, but I have the starting point listed as SME-0000. Anyone have a lower number? These plates date back to about 1984, and were intended to replace Tractor plates. When Tractor plates were discontinued, they were replaced either by Implement of Husbandry (IMP) or Special Mobile Equipment (SME) plates, depending on their use. Thanks to Bryan Hummel for this photo.
Here is a very nice 1914 Tractor plate that was recently acquired by Jeff Hinkle. 1914 was the first year for tractor plates. These plates were white on black porcelain-coated steel, and issued in pairs for 1914 and '15 only. The plate shown here measures 6 inches by 12 inches; however, 6-inch by 8-, 10- and 14-inch sizes were also issued depending on the number of characters. The series high is at least E1066.
This plate may not look like anything out of the ordinary, but it's actually a 1930 Weight Class V Truck plate. PA began using the R through Z weight class system in 1924, but for some reason abandoned that system in favor of a 2-letter suffix system to designate weight classes. This system made truck plates in general hard to identify. The V class was allocated to use 00PA to 999PZ. Many thanks to Jeff Lesher for the use of this image.
This 1946 Z-Weight Class Truck plate is much easier to identify. Still the scarcity of Z-class makes it a tough plate to collect. All truck plates that year were made up of 5 characters, and measured 6 inches by 11 inches. Following the war they were still issued as singles. This plate is also thanks to Jeff Lesher. Jeff has kindly provided quite a few tough older plates, which I will feature over the next several weeks.
On the far left is a group of Township Supervisor front plates. Most are dated between 1966 and 1969. Photo source is unknown. The next photo is a Township Commissioner front plate. This plate was recently acquired by Bob Connison. I do have a page featuring this and other official and semi-official plates.
9/5/2021 Posting
This is a very rare Air Force Cross plate. The award denotes the second highest Air Force decoration for extreme heroism in combat. As of 8/30/21 only plates 2, 5, 6 & 7 have been issued. Plate 00002A/C was previously spotted by Tom Perri with a 6-16 validation sticker. This latest plate has the map outline.
Here is a new high Bronze Star plate. The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement or service, or meritorious achievement or service in a combat zone. There is also a Bronze Star for Valor plate. Thanks to Jaska Börner for the photo.
Here is another new Antique Vehicle high. This was spotted at the Wheels of Time car show in Macungie. As with most of PA's plates, numbers advance first, then the letter in the 4th position, then the 3rd spot and finally the letter in the first position.
I don't get it — why spend $ to purchase an organizational plate, then cover up the name of the organization with a plate frame?!. That aside, it's a new high Mario Lemieux Foundation plate, also featuring the updated logo. Thanks to Bruce Bufalini for the photo.
Here is a new high Pennsylvania Coal Alliance, Inc. plate. The photo is thanks to John Clark. There was an earlier plate back in February, 50150P/C that may have not had the sticker well. The plate shown here for certain has no sticker well.
Here is an updated image of a Rose Tree Fire Company No. 1. The previous image was not as sharp. So far the high spotted was 00011R/T, and the highest registered is 00014R/T. Their plate program dates back to 2016. Thanks to Jordan Irazabal for the photo.
This is a new high University of Delaware plate, reading U/D00626. This plate type dates back to 2001, so there were never plates on the yellow on blue base. It started out on the www base and has remained there since. Thanks to Rob Baran for the photo.
Here is a link to the Vanity Page where these and an assortment of personalized plates are posted each week.
The far left 1934 Passenger plate photo came from Jeff Hinkle about 4 years ago. Jeff never owned the pair. The near left plate was recently found by Scott Leitheiser at a flea market. What is the likelihood that this pair of 87-year-old plates would have a virtual reunion. These were part of a series that ran from A to Z999 on 6" by 10" plates as shown here, then from A1000 to Z9999 on 12-inch plates.
This is a 1927 Z-Weight Class Truck plate. For 1927 the Z-class was the heaviest truck class. The plate shown here is thanks to Rob Baran, and is considered the series high. The series would have run from Z-1 to the plate shown here. Sizes were 6 inches by 10 inches for plates with up to 4 characters, and 6" by 13" as shown here. There was also a 6" by 15" plates, although the Z-class did not extend to 6 characters, and would not have needed the 15" size.
8/29/2021 Posting
Here is a pair of McDonald Volunteer Fire Company plates. Both plates were photographed by Brendan Sherry; however, the 19 plate is more recent. Vanity check indicates that 59 serial- numbered plates have been issued. McDonald is a borough in Allegheny and Washington Counties in western PA.
Here is the latest high Penn State Alumni Association license plate thanks to Jaska Börner. I happened to look at Penn State's web page dealing with such plates and they are not accepting applications at the present because PennDOT is not fully operational. Were they ever?
This Disabled Veteran plate is part of the 2-plate series for vehicles that have equipment on the rear of the vehicle for carrying a wheelchair or personal assistive device. Such vehicles are authorized to be issued two plates since the assistive device and carrier may block visibility of the vehicle mounted plate. This series started at DV-79000. The current high in this series is DV-79047.
This is a new high number Emergency Vehicle plate which is part of the low number series where a registration fee is required. This group includes the 30- to 37-thousand plate group. The high number group, which is by far the larger, includes the 50- to 72-thousand series. The 50 to 72 group is also exempt from registration fees. Thanks to Bruce Bufalini for this photo.
Here's another Official Use plate from the 41000-PA series as they move closer to the 42000P/A on the 'family of plates' base. A previous post on 7/4/21 indicated that plates in both the 41000 and 42000 series are being issued concurrently. If there is some logical basis for this, I fail to see it. Thanks to Bruce Bufalini for this photo. Keep a watch for additional plates.
The plates shown here, left to right, are courtesy of Bill Ceravola and Arthur Levine.
These very unusual plates are 1927 Motorbike or Motor Bicycle tags. These beauties were recently acquired by John Willard. Part of what makes these plates so unique, besides the low numbers, is how few were issued. The number issued is really not known but likely only in the hundreds. Between 1920 and 1933 very few plates have survived. Also, in the years up thru 1933 the letter O was used on Motorbike plates as a prefix to differentiate between them and Motorcycle plates. At least up through 1927, the letter O and the number 0 were the same size which makes such plates appear to be all numeric.
This posting follows a recent FaceBook discussion. Almost all 1956 Truck plates were 5 characters in length; however, toward the end of production, there was a run of 6 character R-class plates. Some might use the term overflow plates. In order to accommodate the additional character, 1957 6-character dies were used. Not to confuse the matter, but there were also '57 5-character dies used on some later '56 truck plates also. The 3797 plate above is from Worthpoint, and the 4379 is from Clayton Moore. This plate also appears to be a new high.
8/22/2021 Posting
Here is the first photo-documentation of an Eagle Scout plate. Plate availability check shows that 25 plates have been issued so far. This plate type was added in November of 2019. Plates have been on the street since February of 2020. Thanks to Nick Tsilakis for sharing the image.
This Retired Legislator plate was recently spotted by Jaska Börner. This plate type dates back to at least 2004, and so far all such plates spotted have been on the www base. The number, in this case 002, is believed to correspond to the legislative district which would be 2. There are also Retired Senator plates, which are quite rare. The section of the Vehicle Code, 1339, dealing with Legislative Plates, also authorizes plates for retired members of the U.S. Congress. I have never seen or heard of such a plate, or would one of the types mentioned above be issued? I would think a more appropriate legend would be Retired U.S. Congress or Senate.
Here's a cool Classic Vehicle plate. Yes, it's a vanity. The letter C in the first position is required. The next four characters are zeros (0) as they are larger than the alpha characters. The photo is thanks to Matt Ciecka.
This is a new Motorcycle high which was recently spotted by Jaska Börner. This plate is part of the 0AA00 series which was first spotted in mid-2015 and has now progressed to the VF series. Vanity check shows that registration numbers have advanced into the VW series at the present.
This is a Wild Resources Conservation plate featuring the Otter. It is part of the Special Fund plate group. The plate shown here is also a new high thanks to Nick Tsilakis. There is quite a bit of history to this plate which started out as the Owl plate in 1993, and was also the first Special Fund plate.
Here is a new high Temple University Alumni plate thanks to Matt Ciecka. The Temple plate program dates back to 1987 on the yellow on blue base. A few even got made with the "You've Got a Friend in Pennsylvania" passenger legend.
Here are two sequential pairs of 1926 Passenger plates. The serial sequence went from single digit to 6 digit plates. Once the series hit 4 digits as shown here, a dash separator was placed before the final group of 3 digits. These plates measure 6 inches by 12 inches, although several other sizes were used depending on the number of characters in the serial number. Thanks to Mike Alfonse for the use of the photo.
Here is pair of 1934 Passenger plates. These were part of Format 1 which included the serial sequence of 1 to 9999 on 6 by 10-inch plates, and 10000 to 99999 on 6 by 12-inch plates as shown here. After this initial series was exhausted, a variety of alpha numeric combinations were issued. Click the link for more details. This plate pair belongs to John Anshant.
8/15/2021 Posting
Bruce Bufalini dug out the plate photo on the near left and noticed that it helps to narrow the point at which the Oldsmobile Roadster graphic was removed and replaced with the redundant Antique Vehicle legend. At some point later in the FJ, FK series, or the start of the FL series the change occurred. The 4FJ6 plate was thanks to Ryan Battin. Can anyone narrow the gap further?
This Antique Motorcycle plate is not exactly a new high, but it is the highest plate spotted in the 01000 to 09999 series. This series has already moved into the next format, that being 000A0, which was first seen in May of this year. This plate was spotted at Das Awkscht Fescht in Macungie this past weekend.
Number 1 and low numbered plates have a certain inherent appeal, and so it is with this Malvern Fire Company plate. Thanks to John Clark for the photo. The Malvern plate program dates back to 2008. Vanity check indicates only 11 serial numbered plates have been issued.
This is a recent photo of a Rose Tree Fire Company No. 1. They serve Upper Providence Township, near Media. Plate check shows that they have 14 serial numbered plates registered. So far the high spotted was 00009R/T, and all still have stickers. Their plate program dates back to 2016. Thanks to Will Stephens for the photo.
Here is a prefect image of a very low number Korean Defense Service Medal plate thanks to John Clark. These plates date back to 2010. The current high on this series is 00199K/D. The small quantity issued plus a relative high inventory, may result in plates with the map outline never being issued.
This is a personalized U.S. Coast Guard Veteran plate. This plate appears to be without the sticker well. The USCG Veteran plate series dates back to 2009. The photo is thanks to Brendan Sherry.
The photo of this unique serial number plate was taken by Jordan Irazabal in early July. It appears that this white on blue passenger series Official Use series has finally transitioned to the graphic base at 42000P/A.
Here is a link to the Vanity Page where this and an assortment of personalized plates are posted. This Choose Life vanity, courtesy of Arthur Levine, will be cross listed on the organizational plate page. Several other vanities are thanks to Arthur Levine and Bill Ceravola.
It sure ain't pretty, but it's much closer to the 1908 Passenger high of 25148 as listed by Eric Tanner. Most early porcelain plates between 1906 and 1909 with the plate legend across the top of the plate, measured 6½ inches high. This is a Worthpoint image.
This is a much nicer 1909 Passenger and may be a new series high. It also tells a story that about 10,000 more vehicles were registered in 1909 than the previous year. Like the plate above this plate, this plate also measures 6½ by 10½ inches. This is also a Worthpoint image.
Well, it's a 1909 Passenger plate, but what's with the leading zeros? After conferring with Eric Tanner and Jordan Irazabal, the consensus is that the plate was repainted, and in doing so, at least the first number was repainted as a zero (0). It's likely that the original number could have been a 3 which would have been easier to cover. This is also a Worthpoint image.
8/8/2021 Posting Hoping all who attended the ALPCA Annual Convention in Covington, KY had an enjoyable few days. Please send PA photos!
Closer to home, spotted this plate display at Stove & Tap in Lansdale, PA. Click to enlarge. Photo credit Jim McDevitt
There is a new organizational plate on the horizon — the West Lake Fire Department is now listed on PennDOT's website. It's listed as a Specialty plate rather than a Special Organizational plate. Nick Tsilakis pointed out this likely error. Unfortunately, we have no prototype image yet. It also appears that no plates are in use yet. The formatting of the plate appears likely to be W/F00001.
This is the highest number Mario Lemieux Foundation plate I've seen without the map outline; however, one was previously documented with 01520L/F. Current issue plates are in the 01950L/F range. Thanks to Rob Baran for the photo.
Here is a pair of recent issue Antique Vehicle plates. The far left plate is still in the D-series, the near left plate is now in the E-series. The E-plate is a new high. As with most of PA's plates, numbers advance first, then the letter in the 4th position, then the 3rd spot and finally the letter in the first position. The D plate photo was from Larry Resnick, the E plate was from a recent car show.
Next up is this new high Classic Vehicle plate, also from a recent car show. The main difference between Antique and Classic is the age of the vehicle. An Antique Vehicle must have been manufactured more than 25 years prior to the current year, 15 years is required for a Classic Vehicle. Here is a link to a Fact Sheet on such plates. After opening, scroll down past the application form.
The final plate from the recent car show is this Street Rod which is also a new high. This latest edition of the Street Rod plate not only does not have the map outline, it still has the sticker well. The current batch runs to 7599S/R, so it may be a while.
Here is a recent Disabled Veteran photo from Bruce Bufalini. It is also a new high. One feature of this plate that I have always liked is that it has retained it original color scheme of red, white and blue, and has not fallen victim to the "family of plates" look.
These School Vehicle plates were recently acquired by Brandon Sowers. What's strange about these plates is that the formatting seems to change every time a new batch is produced. Note that the keystone separator comes and goes. The length of the SCHOOL VEHICLE legend can also vary. Wouldn't there be a sample plate or some other standard to follow? Or maybe the gang at the plate factory enjoys the variety. Anyway, the photos of the two plates above have been added to the School Vehicle section.
Here is a link to the Vanity Page where this and an assortment of personalized plates are posted. This plate and most of the vanities are thanks to Arthur Levine.
This pair of 1915 Format 3 Tractor plates shows that tractor plates were issued in pairs. Previously it was thought that 1914 was the only year where tractor plates were issued in pairs. Thanks to Tim Gierschick for the photo. These plates measures 6 inches by 12 inches. Other sizes for plates with E+1 digit were 6" x 8"; E+2 digits were 6" x 10"; and E+4 digits were 6" x 14".
This is a 1930 Tractor plate. By 1928 Passenger plates needed the letter 'E' for serial numbers, so 'TE' was assigned to Tractor plates, coming from the now archaic term 'Traction Engine'. This plate is also considered the high for the series. Thanks to Rick Kretschmer for the use of the plate photo. Also check out Rick's website: http://www.ricksplates.com/
8/1/2021 Posting
Pennsylvania seems to have quite a few organizational plates where the number of plates in use is relatively small. The result is that many such plates are seldom seen. This low number Commonwealth Constables Association was spotted by Nick Tsilakis, and is one I've never seen despite searching. These plates hit the street in 2016.
Here is a new high Appalachian Trail Conservancy plate. This great image is thanks to John Clark. This plate type dates back to 2014, and has been seen with the map outline at least as far back as A/T00334 in March of this year. The Appalachian Trail travels nearly 230 miles in Pennsylvania. Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia also offer such plates.
Here is a new high Mercedes Benz Club of America plate thanks to Bruce Bufalini. This one also has the map outline. The previous high was 00039M/B from back in 2014, so we know for certain that the 2014 plate didn't have the map.
Another great image from John Clark is this Pennsylvania Resources Council plate. It is also a new high. This anti-litterbug plate type dates back to 2011. While this plate is a new high, it still has the sticker well.
This is a personalized Combat Action Ribbon plate spotted by Matt Ciecka. The CG-11 may refer to the USS Chicago, and the plate frame refers to a retired Navy Chief. The Combat Action series of plates dates back to 2011.
This Korean Defense Services Medal is another new high. The photo is thanks to Brandon Sowers. The plate type dates back to 2010. My guess is that this plate is intended to take the place of the Korean War Veteran which is no longer in inventory.
The two far left photos are from a street shot of the first serial-numbered U.S. Air Force Active Duty plate spotted. The A/D suffix differentiates this plate from the U.S. Air Force Veteran plate which uses A/F. Thanks to Preston Turner for the photo. The other plate is a personalized plate of the same type. This photo is from Brendan Sherry. The C-17A likely refers to the C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft.
Here is a link to the Vanity Page where this and an assortment of personalized plates are posted. This plate and most of the vanities are thanks to Arthur Levine.
Wow! At first glance do you know what these are? They are AMAZING low-number 1915 Motorcycle plates — only the second year of state-issued motorcycle plates! I have always held to the belief that 1914 and 1915 used the letter 'O' as the leading character on such plates, which is believed to be the case with these plates. Such plates were originally believed to measure 4½" by 6", however these plates are actually 4½" by 5½". The O5 plate photo is from John Willard, while the O88 is thanks to Tim Gierschick.
This 1952 Passenger plate photo was provided by Eric Tanner and establishes a new high. This series started at D000A and extended to the plate shown here. 1952 passenger plates were made in two sizes, with early and mid-year plates measuring 6" x 11", and later plates like the one shown here measuring 6" x 10¼".
7/25/2021 Posting
These 4-H Youth Program plates made their debut back in 2005. Since that time, only 38 plates have been issued with this plate photo from John Clark being the current high. The map outline was first seen on a prototype in 2017, so it is likely that additional plates have been issued with this feature.
These Gettysburg 1863 / PA Monuments plates date back to 2014, yet this new high from John Clark still shows the sticker well. A look at a late 2014 inventory sheet indicates that 4000 plates were produced. So it could be a long while before the map outline appears. As a Special Fund plate, proceeds from this plate go directly to the Veteran Trust Fund and will support the cleaning, repair and restoration of the Pennsylvania monuments by the Gettysburg National Military Park.
This Honoring Our Veterans plate is a new high, and also part of the Special Fund series. This plate also benefits the Veterans Trust Fund. Credit for the photo goes to Matt Ciecka.
This Cetronia Ambulance Corps plate is actually on the low side, likely dating back to 2007 when the program was launched. The current registered high is 10039C/A. It is not known if these plates are still being issued. The photo is thanks to Bruce Bufalini.
Here is a link to the Vanity Page where this and an assortment of personalized plates are posted. This plate and most of the vanities are thanks to Arthur Levine.
This is a State Representative plate from the 190th House District spotted recently by Jordan Irazabal. The plate is configured with the HR-keystone symbol in the suffix position. This is an indication the HR190 is also registered.
This is a very low number House of Representatives / Legislator plate from the 1971 to '76 Bicentennial plate era. It's hard to see, but 71 is lightly etched into the upper left sticker well. The HR symbol could be in the prefix position as well as the suffix position, to allow registration of two vehicles. The number represents the legislative district. This is a Worthpoint image.
This State Representative Sample plate was produced during the 1984 to 1999 era. Some sample plates at the time were similar to this but had three zeros, and were likely made later during the same time period. This is a Worthpoint image.
These are believed to be US Senator plates with 68 and 69 validation stickers on the 1965 to 1970 base. While PA only has two U.S. Senators, the Archives reports that plates with serial numbers as high as 10 may have been allowed. These are Worthpoint photos.
This 1916 low-number Tractor plate was recently acquired by Tim Gierschick. Tim is the première collector of PA tractor plates. This plate measures 6 inches by 13 inches. Up till now, E+1 and E+2 digit plates were listed as 6 inches by 11 inches. With this plate measuring 13 inches, the question still remains, what size are E+1 digit plates? There is a good chance we may never know.
This pair of 3-digit Motorboat License plates are from 1950 and 1951. Plates at the time ranged from 1 to 5 digits in length. The dimensions were the same as Motorcycle plates of the time measuring 4½" by 8". These are also Worthpoint images.
7/18/2021 Posting New highs reported for Passenger: LTA-2610 and Truck: ZTC-3873 from Bruce Bufalini, was unable to photograph.
Here is a Dealer Vanity plate with a unique number. Dealer plates are eligible to be personalized. Here is also a link to the Vanity Page where the un-cropped photo is also posted. There is (or was) a Chevrolet 21 dealership in Hellertown near Bethlehem. Don't know if there could be a connection to this plate. This photo is thanks to Matt Ciecka.
Not one seen every day — this Quality Deer Management Association plate was recently spotted by Rob Baran. These date back to 2015. This is also a new high. According to vanity check, the current registered high is 00098Q/D. Rob thought this plate did not have a sticker well, but could not be certain.
Was still in need of several first generation plates including Lebanon Valley College plate photo. Jeff Lesher provided this photo of this perfect low-number pair, one with a 2-97 validation sticker and one without. Plates still needed include first generation, yellow on blue photos of the following plates:
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St. Francis College
Here are a few more first generation organizational plates, this one being U.S. Air Force Reserve thanks to Brandon Sowers. This plate appears to be unused, and the serial number suggests that the plate may be above the issued high. What does this mean? Likely means that more plates were produced than were needed, and the plate found its way into the hands of plate collectors.
The next gem is this U.S. Marine Reserve plate, again thanks to Brandon Sowers. This plate also appears to be unused, and the serial number also suggests that it may be above the issued high. What does this mean? Like above more plates were produced than were needed.
The final one of these first generation plates is this U.S. Navy Reserve courtesy of Brandon Sowers. This plate also appears to be unused, however, it does fall within the issued series of numbers.
These 1933 and 1934 Passenger plates are good examples where one of the letter Hs is inverted while the other is correct. When in doubt, do one each way, at least it's 50% correct. My sense tells me that the first H is inverted on both plates. The 1933 HH plate photo is from John Anshant, while the 1934 plate photo is thanks to Ed Levine. Neither plate is a new posting.
Here is another pair of 1933 Passenger plates. Again we have the letter H in both serial numbers, and again the 870H5 appears to be inverted, while the H1057 appears normal. Minor errors but noticeable. Thanks to Eric Tanner pointing this out. The 870H5 plate is from Worthpoint, while the H1057 is thanks to John Willard and has been previously posted.
Here is another example of minor errors with plate dies. These are also 1933 Passenger plates with the first example having the letter U properly spaced in the center, while the second example shows the letter U aligned with the bottom margin. Both of these plate photos are from Worthpoint.
7/11/2021 Posting For the next several weeks, possibly longer, my computer time will be limited. As a result, web-postings will be shortened. Too much happening.
This Korean War Veteran plate is almost at the end of its run. The plate type dates back to 1993 but was never changed to the graphic base, instead the Korean Defense Service Medal became available in 2010. This plate reads K/V02963, with a Jan-2020 warehouse inventory extending only to K/V02999, plates were only issued as high as K/V02987. The Feb-2021 inventory shows no plates remaining.
A few vanities of the week. This plate is thanks to Bill Young. Click this link to the Vanity Page for additional images.
Recently Brandon Sowers posted these very nice images of first generation college plates. On the far left is a Dickinson College tag. The tag is a great example, even though the number suggests that it may have been above the issued high. Next plate is an Edinboro University tag. The final plate is a Gannon University plate. This plate may also have been slightly above the issued high.
Here's another beauty, this one being a National Greyhound Adoption Program. This plate program dates back to 1997, and is also thanks to Brandon Sowers.
This U.S. Coast Guard Reserve plate photo is one I've always needed. These military reserve issues are not considered veterans' tags, rather they were established as organizational tags. It is unknown how many of plates were issued, probably no more than a few hundred. It was brought to my attention by Brandon Sowers from an eBay listing and now on Worthpoint. If the current owner of this plate lets me know, I'll credit you.
These plates provide an enlargement of the 1933 Dealer series, including the addition of a previously unknown format. Photos of the first three plates came from Jeff Lesher. The 10"-shortie on the left shows a plate with the X in the first position, followed by a 12-inch X+4-digit plate, the next plate with the X in the second position, fills a needed plate photo gap. The 58X1 from eBay user oldies_museum adds a previously unknown format. A big thank you to Jeff Lesher and to oldies_museum.
Such a rare plate should probably be at the top of the page, but I try to keep the postings in a chronological order. Anyway this is a well-preserved 1925 2-digit Passenger plate. The plate belongs to John Willard, the photo is thanks to Tim Gierschick. Tim has an amazing collection of 1906 to 1935 two-digit and one digit plates that I plan to showcase in the near future.
7/4/2021 Posting Happy Independence Day According to PennDOT Bulletin No. 21-11, based on Act 89 and the Consumer Price Index, effective July 1, basically every plate transaction will see a price increase. For example, the "fee to personalize special issued registration plates adjusts from $108 to $112." They use the term 'adjusts' rather than 'increases'.
This 41007-PA Official Use Passenger plate was thought to be the latest high in that series that was expected to progress to 41999-PA before switching to the graphic base. But obviously the graphic base made its debut before it was expected. Plate check indicates that only about 130 of 41000 to 41999 inventory have been issued. Meanwhile, most plates from 42000P/A to 42082P/A have now been issued. It will be interesting to see if both series are issued concurrently. Thanks to Bruce Bufalini for the 41007 photo, and to Nick Tsilakis for the 42026 photo.
Here is a recent traffic photo and high number Flyers Wives Charities plate. This plate type dates back to 2006. During that period they have changed their legend from Flyers Wives Charities to Flyers Wives Charity and back again. This plate has the map outline first seen at F/L01779. Thanks to Matt Ciecka for the photo.
Here's a new high Vietnam Veterans of America photo with the map outline, thanks to Jaska Börner. The previous high, V/N02668, did not have the map outline. These plates date back to 1992 on the yellow on blue base, then were reissued on the www base in 2001, and finally to the graphic base in 2005.
This is not exactly a new high Special Mobile Equipment plate, but it is the highest 'D" plate spotted so far. The "E" series so far does not appear to have the small keystone separator. If more plates are spotted without the separator, the E-series will become a new format.
But wait, there's more! This series of 1945 Motorcycle plates with alpha-numeric serial numbers shows the presence of the stacked M/C on the right of the first plate, but completely missing from the higher plates. Credit for the photos goes to ebay user luv2wheels, Worthpoint and Jeff Lesher. Thanks to Jeff for identifying this formatting difference.
This is a low number final generation Tractor plate. This plate would have been issued in 1977 with the starting point being TR-10000. These plates would have been issued through 1984, although this plate had 4-85 and 4-86 validation stickers. It is believed that in 1984 or '85 these plates were replaced by two different types. If the tractor was used for industrial purposes, it received a Special Mobile Equipment (SME) plate. If the tractor was used for agriculture, it was issued an Implement of Husbandry (IMP) plate. Since then, there has been a proliferation of SME plates and profound scarcity of IMP plates. Thanks to Tim Gierschick for the photo.
You may recognize these as 1926 U-Weight Class Truck plates. Only the far left image is new, the others were previously shown. Sometimes a display is more meaningful when showing it with other size variations from the same class. These measure 6 inches by 10 inches, 12 inches and 13 inches respectively. There were also some 15 inch truck plates, but not in the U-Class. The U-51 is a Worthpoint image. If anyone owns this plate, let me know and I'll credit you.
This 1956 Y-Weight Class Truck plate is a new image of a previously displayed plate. The previous photo was a lesser quality image from Worthpoint, and this one was spotted at a truck show in use as a YOM plate. There were two Y-series serial progressions Y000A and Y00A0 in '56. Still need a photo of the first variant.
6/27/2021 Posting
Here's a new high Antique Vehicle plate spotted at the recent antique truck show in Macungie, PA. The current series started at A0AA, with the first A being the last character to advance. This series was first spotted in March of 2020.
This is a personalized Classic Vehicle plate, also spotted at the truck show where there was no shortage of Mack trucks. According to PennDOT's regs, these are supposed to have the letter "C" as the first character. "A pre-printed letter configuration of “C” will precede your personalized configuration on your registration plate and cannot be changed." Apparently it can be changed.
Next up is another high, this one being an Apportioned Truck plate. PA's Apportioned plate program dates back to 1982 with the first series using AA as the prefix. After AA came AB, AD, AE AF, AG, and finally AH. AC was not used. The AC series may have been kept in reserve for Allegheny College. Anyone know another reason?
This is a new high Passavant Memorial Homes Family of Services. These are relatively new plates, only dating back to 2019. This photo was taken by Bruce Bufalini several weeks ago. Some weeks I get behind with photos due to the volume of available images, and the time involved in prepping the images.
This Permanent Trailer photo represents a new series high thanks to Bruce Bufalini. These plates made their debut back in 1997 configured as PT-00000 on the yellow on blue base, then in 2001 plates were replaced with the www base beginning at PT-0000A. Next came the visitPA base at PT-0000L, then to PT-000A0, followed by the map outline at PT-500D0, eventually reaching the plate shown here.
Only a couple vanities this week. Click this link to the Vanity Page.
While we don't know the full history of these ADP plates, thanks to Eric Tanner much of the mystery has been solved. From Eric's research we learn that Pennsylvania passed Act 160, the Outdoor Advertising Control Act, on December 15, 1971, effective immediately. In Section 7, the law states: "An annual permit shall be required for each outdoor advertising device...A tag indicating that a permit has been duly issued shall be affixed to the device or structure by the department." The billboards affected were those within 660 feet of most federal and state highways, with certain exceptions. PennDOT administered the program, which was a result of Congress passing the Highway Beautification Act in 1965, appropriating money to states which complied. (It was "Lady Bird" Johnson's initiative!) Eric suggests that the "ADP" tag stands for Advertising Device Permit, and that it was issued in 1972 or possibly 1973. It is unknown for how long they were issued, or why they aren't more common. Size is 4½" x 8", same as motorcycle plates of the era. Known range of serial numbers is 100 to 1038. Thank You Eric.
Here's a low number Press Photographer Suburban plate. This is an unusual plate in that it actually fits into two plate categories. The PP indicates Press Photographer. The Suburban legend indicates that it was registered to a station wagon, or more commonly today an SUV or crossover. The term Suburban was only used on plates between 1960 to '64. This plate came from the late Jake Eckenrode's collection and was for sale by John Anshant at the time the photo was taken.
Legislative plates were issued between 1928 and 1935, then were not issued again until 1957. Then beginning in 1957, Legislative plates were divided into State House of Representatives and State Senate. Shown here is an example of a '57 State Senator plate. The number would correspond to the senatorial district. The PA prefix could also be used in the suffix position to allow the registration of a second vehicle. The word Senator did not appear on plates until 1966.
These 1926 Truck and 1927 Truck plates are very welcome additions to this site, and are thanks to Rob Baran. Both plates fill a gap in the T-weight class. The '26 plate also represents a new T-series high. Both of these plates measure 6 inches by 15 inches. Click the links above to see more on the weight class serial progressions and sizes.
6/20/2021 Posting Happy Father's Day
Here's one of those redundant plates Classic Vehicle on the plate twice!. Pardon my cynicism. A few years back the law was amended to allow many additional plate types to be configured as vanities. For Classic plates the first character was supposed to be the letter C, however, this has not consistently been the case. Thanks to Jaska Börner for the photo.
C27851 Bruce Bufalini reports seeing this plate number on the purple on white Classic Car base. He was not able to take a photo. This would be a new high on the purple on white series before switching to the redundant base at C27900.
V/W10726 Bruce Bufalini also reports seeing this Vietnam War Veteran plate with a sticker well. It's not a high, but does help with changeover point. Strangely plate V/W10573 does not have a sticker well.
This is a personalized U.S. Navy Veteran plate thanks to Jeff Lawson. They have been popular as vanities. These plates made their debut in 2009 The current serial-numbered high is 13522N/A according to Tom Perri's PA Plates (http://www.paplates.com/) webpage.
Here's the latest new high Municipal Government plate thanks to Bill Young. These plates originally date back to 1973 and were blue on white. The current format was first seen in February 2017 starting at M/G9000J. There is also a new Motorcycle version of this plate which so far has not been photographed.
Here is a new high Kutztown University plate. It does not have the map outline. Can't really say if it has the sticker well. This plate is also part of the out-of-sequence number series. The original series went from K/U00001 to K/U01462, then jumped ahead to K/U10479. It appears that the 01 was transposed to 10. This is also one of only a couple organizational plates to use their web address in place of the school name. This photo is thanks to Brandon Sowers.
This is a new high Lafayette College plate thanks to Jeff Lawson. This plate program dates all the way back to 1988 on the yellow on blue base. The plate still retains the original embossed design. Vanity check shows the registered high as L/C01294.
This is a Moravian College vanity plate. While this plate has the map outline, no standard issue plates have been spotted with them. The Moravian plate program dates back to 1990 on the yellow on blue base.
These are both Edge Hill Fire Company plates. The far left came from Richard Than via Tom Perri's PA Plates (http://www.paplates.com/) webpage. The near left plate is more recent and is from Matt Ciecka. This plate program only dates back to 2019 with about 13 numerical plates registered so far.
Click this Vanity Page link to see this week's gallery of personalized plates. This photo is thanks to Bill Stephens.
It's amazing that such low-numbered bus plates have survived considering life on the back of a bus. Note the first character is the letter O. The 1956 Bus series ran from O1 to O9999, then OA000 to at least OC813. This plate came from the late Jake Eckenrode's collection and was for sale by John Anshant at the time the photo was taken.
See the difference? Both are 1933 Passenger plates, same alpha-numeric series, different legend. One has PENNA 1933 while the other reads 1933 PENNA. The correct formatting is PENNA 1933, however, this reversal is reported as an error in the manufacturing process in the prison. While such plates are not uncommon, and are seen in Format 1, 2 and 3 plates, I have only seen this on 5-character plates. Thanks to Mike Alfonse for the J8907 photo. The other plate was previously posted and is thanks to John Willard.
1924 was the first year for trucks to use the R through Z weight classification system. This trio of 1924 S-Weight Class Truck plates demonstrates the three sizes of truck plates used that year. The sizes were 6" by 10", 12" and 15" respectively. The S64 is a new addition of a Dave Lincoln plate. Thanks to Jordan Irazabal for the photo. The other two plates were posted previously and are thanks to Worthpoint and Shane Oake respectively.
It may not be much to look at, but it's the first image of a 1934 V-Weight Class Truck. Click the image to enlarge and make it easier to read. All 1934 truck plates measured 6 inches by 12 inches, and all were 5 characters. In addition to the letter class in the first position, there was always an additional alpha-character in the sequence. Thanks to eBay user tight-wad for the use of the photo.
Still wondering what this plate is? Check back next week for the unraveling of the mystery surrounding these ADP plates, thanks to Eric Tanner.
6/13/2021 Posting
I knew these were out there, but finding one has not been easy. This one turned up at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's World War II Weekend at the Reading Regional Airport. It's another redundant PennDOT plate with Historic Military Vehicle needlessly spelled out twice. The availability of these plates dates back to 2019. So far vanity check shows that the series started at MV0001, with MV0034 as the high, but not all numbers in between have been assigned. There is also a Motorcycle version of this plate with no indication of any being issued yet.
This is a new high Autism Society of America plate thanks to Matt Ciecka. These plates date back to 2005 and started out using the legend 'Autism Awareness' on the first few plates, then switched to the current name. The latest plates, at least from A/U20504, have had the map outline.
This is a Pennsylvania Hunting Heritage vanity plate. Such plates are permitted to have up to 5 characters + the H/T suffix. Thanks to Jaska Börner for the plate photo. These plates date back to 2014, with the documented high being 01069H/T.
This is a new high Philadelphia Fire Fighters' Union spotted by Jaska Börner. This series started at P/F20001 back in 2005. This plate reads P/F21172. Vanity check shows the registered high as P/F21212. It should be noted that there was a run of plates outside the expected series from P/F23055 and P/F23115.
Here is a new high Implement of Husbandry plate thanks to Preston Turner. Pennsylvania has several very rare plate types, and this certainly is one of them. I can't explain why it would be on a pickup, it doesn't look like it's been set up to do field work. I have seen a pickup with a Commercial Implement of Husbandry tag where the vehicle was used to haul fertilizer trailers.
Here is a pair of veteran types, the far left being a personalized U.S. Military Airborne Units from Clayton Moore. The near left is also a personalized plate, this one being a Veteran plate from Matt Ciecka. Both of these plates have the map outline.
Click this Vanity Page link to see this week's gallery of personalized plates. Most are from Arthur Levine, and a couple are from Richard Than and Nick Tsilakis. The photos in the vanity section will generally not be arranged or saved in any particular order.
Not sure how to describe this Fire Fighter plate that came from the late Jake Eckenrode's collection and now belongs to George Kunsman. George is a collector who specializes in Fire Fighter plates. While it is a Fire Fighter plate, PA never issued such plates on the yellow on blue base, except for some samples. The use of two stickers is also strange. Very likely this was made as a courtesy or favor for a PennDOT official at the time. Whatever the reason, I like the plate.
This is a Penn State University Official plate. It's part of the early plates that have sticker wells in both upper left and right corners. Later plates had a single sticker well in the lower left — not that they needed a sticker, although a few plates were issued with permanent stickers. This plate helps to narrow down the changeover from 2 sticker wells to 1. Click the link for more details. This plate is from the late Jake Eckenrode collection and was for sale by John Anshant at the time of the photo.
This is a low number 1932 Format 2 Passenger plate. Format 1 was all-numeric from 1 to 99999, then Format 2 consisted of a single letter plus a numeric sequence such as A, A1 to A99999, then B, B1 etc. Each alpha sequence was filled before advancing to the next letter. A number of other serial progressions were also used that year. 1 to 4 character plates measured 6" x 10", 5 character plates measured 6" x 12". This plate is from the late Jake Eckenrode collection and for sale by John Anshant at the time of the photo.
Here's another shortie, this one being a 1933 Format 2 Passenger plate. Like the '32 plate above, this 1933 follows the same progression with each alpha sequence being filled before advancing to the next letter. This plate is also from the late Jake Eckenrode collection and for sale by John Anshant at the time of the photo.
Finally we have this beautifully restored 1937 Format 9 Passenger plate with keystones. 1937 plates were not supposed to have keystones, however, a small run of plates was produced within the Format 9 series where the legend '#1937 PENNA#' was flanked by keystones. Thanks to Tim Gierschick for the opportunity to photograph this plate.
6/6/2021 Posting
Last week I posted 03214H/V from Bruce Bufalini but missed posting this slightly higher Honoring Our Veterans plate thanks to Zach Taylor. Both plates are now without the sticker well. As mentioned last week, these are Special Fund plates with proceeds benefiting the Veterans Trust Fund.
Here's a brand new arrival from Bruce Sakson. This In God We Trust plate is a new high. It's also considered an optional issue. The cost is only $22, but if you want to personalize it, you'll need to plunk down an additional $108. This new plate still has the sticker well.
This is a new high Greenfield Township Volunteer Fire Company Of Lackawanna County. The previous high of 00002G/T was last updated in 2011. The current issued high is 00022G/T. This plate program dates back to 2008. Thanks to John Kerestes for the image.
This PA District Kiwanis International vanity is not a new plate, but it's a nicer photo than the one taken several years ago, which at the time still had a validation sticker where the scar remains on the lower left. Yes, it still has the sticker well.
Received this photo from Paul Bagnarol comparing the La Roche College sample plate with the La Roche University sample plate. The new logo has both color and wording changes. The University plate now has the map outline. The La Roche plate program dates back to 2009, and the change to La Roche University came about in late 2019. The number series appears to go from 00001L/R to at least 00046L/R on the La Roche College base, while the lowest La Roche University plate spotted is 00081L/R, with the current registered high of 00097L/R.
This is a new high Motor Home plate thanks to Richard Than. It appears that these began using the map outline at HH-73000.
These are Pennsylvania Boat Registration stickers issued in pairs by the PA Fish & Boat Commission with 3/31/22 and 3/31/23 expirations. They are today's equivalent of the old Motor Boat (MBL & MB) plates issued up through 1963, although they are issued in both Powered and Unpowered versions. There are still a number of years for which sticker photos are still needed if anyone collects this stuff.
This is a very nice 1911 Passenger 4-digit porcelain plate. 4-digit plates measured 6 inches by 12 inches. Fewer than 60,000 passenger plates were issued that year. The image is thanks to Mike Sells. If anyone owns this plate, let me know and I'll give you credit.
I'm sure there is a story behind these plates and not just coincidence that these plates ended up in Bill Krellner's collection. I was very fortunate in being able to visit with Bill in June of last year. Sadly he passed away later in the year. These are all shortie Passenger plates from 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1932.
Look closely — these low-number Official plates may look like a matching pair, but they are from 1928 and 1930. The 1928 series likely extended to at least 973 and the 1930 series extended to 1415. Plates from 1000 and above did not have the right hand keystone. Thanks to Tim Gierschick for these photos.
5/30/2021 Posting
This is a new high Ancient Order of Hibernians plate from Bruce Bufalini. Bruce believes that this plate no longer has the sticker well, which was present on the previous high of 00199I/R. This organizational plate program has been active since 2008.
Any guess what this is? Rob Baran, who sent the photo, said he had to look up the DR suffix. The plate is a new high PA State Society Daughters of the American Revolution. With so many letters squeezed between the bolt holes, it is no wonder it is very difficult to read, especially with a plate frame. It's almost the longest tag legend in PA.
Here is a new high William Penn Charter School plate, in spite of it still having a sticker. Almost from the start, there was unusual number sequencing with this plate type. After the first two plates, the serial numbers appear to advance by increments of 10 such as 20190 then 20200 instead of 20019 and 20020. Plate check didn't show any numbers above this plate. Maybe the plate is no longer available. It's not on the school's website. This plate type dates back to 2006. Image was posted by Jaska Börner who got it from VINWiki user nvm32.
This is a new high Penn Alumni (University of Pennsylvania) plate now showing the map outline. The previous high was 00469U/P according to Tom Perri's PA Plates website. That plate did not appear to have the map outline. This plate program dates back to late 2005. This mage was posted to Facebook by Jaska Börner who received it from VINWiki user nvm32. Thank you Jaska & nmv32.
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The far left University of Pittsburgh (Official) plate had been previously posted. Then this first picture of the new format. Both photos were provided by Bruce Bufalini. The newest plate has the map outline and the University of Pittsburgh legend is now screened instead of embossed. Penn State, Temple and Lincoln Universities also have official plates as they are designated as state-related universities, which is different from the State System of Higher Education facilities such as Kutztown, East Stroudsburg, Bloomsburg, etc. which use state-issued Official Use tags on university-owned vehicles.
Here's a photo of a new high Honoring Our Veterans plate from Bruce Bufalini. The previous high of 03111H/V still had the sticker well, while the plate shown here does not. These are Special Fund plates with proceeds benefiting the Veterans Trust Fund.
I came across this high number 1920 Passenger plate. Eric Tanner lists a slightly higher number of 531-893 as the series high. This plate is the largest of four sizes used that year measuring 6 inches by 16 inches. Other sizes include 6 by 10, 12 and 13½ inches. Colors were white on dark blue. Image is thanks to Worthpoint.
Last week we featured a 2-digit pair of 1930 Passenger plates that had been recently acquired by Tim Gierschick. This week we have this pair of 1932 Passenger plates also from Tim. As previously mentioned, Passenger plates started at 1 or 2, and progressed to 999-999 before going to an alpha-numeric format. The plates shown here measure 6 inches by 10 inches. Click the link above to see a breakdown of the entire 1932 Passenger series. Check back for more 2-digit plates next week.
This 1928 Format 6 Passenger plate appears to be the highest known tag in the series. 1928 was also the first year that Passenger plates extended into the E-series. All Tractor plates up through 1927 used E as the identifying prefix. Then with 1928 Passenger plates using the E, this resulted in the 1928 Tractor series switching to TE as the prefix.
5/23/2021 Posting
Here is a new serial format Antique Motorcycle plate and therefore a new high, having started at 000A0. It was spotted by Bill Stephens. The previous series of 01000 to 09999 was exhausted without ever moving to 10000, reason for not using that series is that it is already in use on early Classic Car plates.
This is a personalized University of Wisconsin plate. This organization's plate program has been around since 2009. So far about 79 serial numbered plates have been issued. This image is thanks to Jaska Börner.
These plates represent the lowest and highest known first generation Fire Fighter plates. This was PA's first organizational plate, dating back to 1983. At the time, standard issue plates were blue on yellow. Not long after, standard issue plates went to yellow on blue, but Fire Fighter plates kept the original color scheme until the changeover to the www plates, when all plates were replaced. The FF00003 plate photo came from George Kunsman, while the FF15073, also from George, but has also been credited to Brandon Sowers in the past.
This DCNR ATV Class 2 plate reveals a new serial format. These motorcycle-size plates are issued by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or DCNR for short. Previous serial formats started with 0000X to 9999Z, then 000X0, 00X00, 0X000 and finally X0000. The letters progress thru X, Y then Z. The rest of the alphabet is reserved for ATV Class 1 plates.
Easy to tell that these are 1910 Dealer plates. 1910 was also the first year for PA Dealer plates. The series ran from 1 to 2807. Plate size depended on the length of the serial number with three sizes being used — 6 inches by 8 for 1 and 2 digit plates, 10 inches for 3 digits and 12 inches for 4 digits. All were white over dark blue porcelain. The 117 plate is from Worthpoint, and the 2111 plate is thanks to Mike Alfonse.
Last week we featured a 2-digit pair of 1928 Passenger plates that had been recently acquired by Tim Gierschick. This week we have this pair of 1930 Passenger plates also from Tim. As previously mentioned, Passenger plates started at 1 or 2, and progressed to 999-999 before going to an alpha-numeric format. The plates shown here measure 6 inches by 10 inches. Click the link above to see a breakdown of the entire 1930 Passenger series. Check back for more 2-digit plates next week.
Finally got a 1931 Passenger Sample plate image thanks to Mike Sells. This appears to be the first year for the PA00 format to be used as a sample. Previous years were 000. I acquired a number of photos from Mike; he had gotten them over the years from a number of sources, so if this happens to be your plate, please let me know and I'll gladly credit you.
Here is another welcome addition, this one being a 1932 Passenger Sample. This replaces a previous image. Both of these samples measure 6 inches by 10 inches. Again this is a photo from Mike Sells, so if this happens to be your plate, please let me know and I'll give you credit.
If you've studied 1956, '57 and '58 Passenger plates, you’ve likely noticed several different serial die variations. For many years the same dies were used up through 1956, then later in ’56 the 1957 dies were introduced. These were thinner dies which I will refer to as ’57 5-character dies. Then in 1957 as plates moved to 6 characters (plates 100000 to at least 795799), a thinner set of dies was used which I will refer to as ’57 6-character dies. Then toward the end of the 1957 run (plates from 802945 to 883083) the 1958 die set came into use. I appreciate the assistance received from Eric Tanner.
5/16/2021 Posting In a news article on ButlerRadio.com from April 16, the State Police are reminding drivers that it’s illegal to drive with an illegible license plate. Police say if your plate can’t be seen from over 50 feet, or if it’s blistering, peeling, or there’s any discoloration, you’re subject to a citation. If you’re plate is illegible, you can take it to any official state inspection station for verification of your plate and you would receive a form to authorize the replacement. The form is also available on PennDOT’s website. Thanks to Larry Renick for sharing this article.
This Antique Motorcycle plate was spotted at a recent bike show. The 2-character serial number might suggest an early plate, but I'm listing this plate as being part of Format 6, which appears to have run from 0A to 99Z. The presence of the wide hole spacing also indicates that this is not an early plate. Antique Motorcycle plates date back to 1965, and while a newer style of plate is currently in use, the type shown here is still valid.
Veteran Motorcycle plates have been around since 2004, and while I don't think they could be personalized until 2014, this is still the first one I've seen. They can be formatted with V+1 to 4 characters. In this case the frame which was partially cut off to size the plate correctly read USMC. It should be noted that the word VETERAN was flat screened, whereas all standard Veteran M/C plates are embossed.
Here is another personalized plate, this one belonging to a member of the PA Society of Professional Engineers. These organizational plates are very rare with the recorded high of 40002P/E, and the registered high of 40008P/E. Such plates are eligible for up to 5 characters + the stacked PE.
Attached are several more newspaper articles from Rob Baran revealing some history of what has happened to old Pennsylvania plates. The photo shown here (click to enlarge) shows school children about to turn in old plates from the bikes and wagons from as far back as 1906 to 1941. While the war effort was certainly a noble and patriotic cause, it's still heartbreaking to see such plates rendered into scrap metal. In the one article 17,118 plates were collected which brought $50.31.
Here is another gem. PA started issuing plates in 1906, making this 1907 plate part of the second year. It should be noted that the state first issued plates in 1906, and plates from 1906 thru 1909 were assigned to the driver rather than the vehicle. Plate size depended on the number of characters with this one measuring 6½" by 10½" and were porcelain. At the time, plates were manufactured by Ing-Rich, also know as Ingram Richardson of Beaver Falls, PA. This plate is believed to have belonged to Jake Eckenrode but came to me via Mike Sells.
This 2-digit pair of 1928 Passenger plates was recently acquired by Tim Gierschick. At that time, Passenger plates started at 1 or 2, and progressed to 999-999 before going to an alpha-numeric format. The plates shown here measure 6 inches by 10 inches, whereas 6 by 13 and 6 by 15-inch plates were used to accommodate longer serial numbers. Check back for more 2-digit plates over the next couple weeks.
Found this all-zeros '77 base Passenger Sample plate with 79 and 80 stickers. Found this on Worthpoint. I don't recall seeing one of these in the past, or were these common?
5/9/2021 Posting
This appears to be a new high Antique Vehicle plate. I'm really not fond of this latest serial progression, but then they didn't ask me for my opinion. The first letter, in this case 'C', is the last character to advance. Vanity check suggests that the D-series has been started. Plate spotted at recent car show.
Had a good day for plate spotting. Snapped a number of good photos at a bike show. I have a list of about 15 motorcycle types, still searching for a handful like Historic Military and Purple Heart. Anyway, here is a new Motorcycle high, with the V being the last character to advance. The current series started at 0AA00 and will continue to 9ZZ99.
Here's the latest high Honoring Our Women Veterans plate from Jaska Börner. As stated on a previous post, this is not actually a veterans' plate, instead funds from the sale of this plate benefit the Veterans Trust Fund. As such the tag is considered a Special Fund plate. Numbers below 100 are considered reserve issue. So far it appears that only 00001W/V has been issued for the under-100 tier. Vanity check then suggests that most plates from 101 up thru 204 have been issued.
Here is another new high, Let Freedom Ring, 1776-2026, 250 Years plate. This photo is thanks to Matt Ciecka. These plates have been out for just over 6 months, with just over 100 plates issued. The starting point was 00051F/R. So far it does not appear that any plates below that number have been issued. These plates will be available until December 31, 2026.
As you can tell, this is a personalized Fraternal Order of Police plate. FOP plates made their debut back in 1987 and the plates have gone through several iterations since then. This one has the map outline. Spotted this plate at a recent car show.
This is a new high United Bowhunters of PA plate. This is one of many organizational plates that have so far not switched to the graphic base. And it's not likely that the inventory will be depleted anytime soon with plates up to B/H01999 sitting on the shelf. Thanks to Mike Alfonse for the photo.
Always something special about a #1 plate. And so it is with this Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society plate spotted by Matt Ciecka. These plates made their debut in 2015. According to Tom Perri's PA Highs website the most recent high was 00160A/W which appeared to still have a validation sticker.
Here is a nice pair of what I will call 1966 base plates with 70 stickers. The legend reads Legislator while the HR refers to House of Representatives. These plates were part of the first use of the HR within a keystone. These are believed to have started in 1966 after the '65 base used HR without the keystone. Another much less common feature is the use of the HR in the suffix position to allow the registration of a second vehicle. These are both Worthpoint images.
This is a first generation Limousine plate, and represents a lower number than previously displayed. These plates date back to 1990 with a starting point of LM-10000. Only several thousand were issued with a high of LM-13873. All such plates were believed to be replaced around March of 2000, although this plate has a 5-02 sticker.
There are plenty of 1965 Motorcycle plates around, but this one is certainly a rarity. The initial run was from 1 to 9999. Then the next group would have been A to Z999. Thanks to Jeff Francis for the use of this plate which was still available on his website last I checked.
Nothing spectacular about these plates, but both fill a missing piece of the puzzle. The far left is a Format 5 1947 Trailer plate, the other plate is a Format 2 1948 Trailer plate. The '47 plate image is from Worthpoint, and the '48 plate is thanks to Jeff Francis.
5/2/2021 Posting
The far left School Vehicle plate is not a new image, the near left plate is a recent photo. While they are not highs, they do provide documentation that narrows the changeover from the sticker well to the map outline. An inventory document shows the end of a plate run at SV-26799 which also supports this as the changeover point.
This is a personalized U.S. Air Force Veteran plate. Not sure if the M-K12 has a connection to the Air Force, but the Air Force does have a K-12 STEM outreach program. Whatever the connection, or not, these plates had their start in 2009, and can be personalized with up to 5 characters. Thanks to Brendan Sherry for the photo.
As the legend suggests, this is a Watercraft Trailer Dealer — one of PA's rarest dealer types. When I started this website almost 19 years ago, I knew such plates existed but never saw one on the road. Most boat dealers didn't seem to be aware that these existed, and after many futile attempts, I found a dealer that dug a plate out of a filing cabinet. The plate shown here is a recent issue and a new high, yet still on the www base due to inventory. The registered high is WD00969. By the way there was also a previous yellow on blue edition of these plates. Many thanks to Nick Tsilakis for sharing this photo.
Here is a new pair of Municipal Government highs from Jaska Börner. This current series on the visitPA base dates back to February of 2017 with a starting point of M/G9000J. Since that time, the J, K and L series has been exhausted.
This is a new high Abington Fire Company plate. I don't believe it has the map outline, and it may still have the sticker well. These plates date back to late 2010. The registered high on this series is 00028A/T. Thanks to Jeff Lawson for the photograph.
Received some old newspaper clippings showing vehicle registrations. These are thanks to Rob Baran. They represent several newspapers which show the following: • For Jan. to Sept. 1906, who got what plates in Berks County: • For circa Sept. 1906, who got what plates in Lehigh County: • For 1907 who got what plates in and around Scranton: • For 1929, a partial list of low number plates: • For 1930 who received so-called vanity tags.
These are both 1929 Legislative plates. Such plates had their start in 1928, and were similar to the far left 1929 plate which is a recent find of Clayton Moore. Then midway through 1929 the early plate design was updated and the early plates were replaced with plates similar to the near left 139 plate. The lack of any obvious markings or legend has likely allowed some of the early plates to slip away. The evolution of these plates was also similar to early Judiciary plates.
This is a rare 1927 Passenger plate. 1924 was the first year that Passenger plates exceeded the 1-millian mark which signaled the need for an additional format. Thus began the first alpha-numeric passenger plates starting at A-1 and going to A-48195 in that year. By 1927 plates had progressed to D. Each alpha character was exhausted before advancing to the next. In spite of this, plates such as the one shown here with a letter and 1 or 2 characters are very scarce. Such plates measured 6" by 10". Thanks to Clayton Moore for this photo.
This 1915 Tractor plate was recently acquired by Tim Gierschick with help from Mike Alfonse. The plate represents a new high from the previous E2027. This plate measures 6" by 14" and was the last year for porcelain. Note the reverse of the plate reads Brilliant Mfg Co., 1035 Ridge Ave. Philadelphia, PA.
It ain't pretty, but it fills one of the pieces of the 1930 Truck weight class puzzle. For that year, the final two letters of truck plates identified the weight class. This 307NK plate is a Class U weight class with the serial progression of 00NA to 999NZ. Unfortunately the lack of a Truck legend and the lack of typical R through Z prefixes, left many of these plates unidentifiable to some collectors. Still need images for V, W, Y and ZZ classes. Thanks to Michael Bender for the use of this photo.
4/25/2021 Posting
This Bronze Star plate image was provided by Jeff Lawson. These plates date back to 2012. I'm guessing that this plate was likely issued during the 2013 - 2014 period. The current registered high is 00777B/Z. There is also a Bronze Star for Valor plate with far fewer tags issued.
Here is a brand new U.S. Military Airborne Units plate, thanks to Mike Alfonse. It is also the current high. This plate type dates back to 2013, but so far they retain the sticker well, except for a personalized plate. The warehouse orders these plates in batches of 100, so it is likely that there will be a change in the next batch at 20600M/A.
At one time these Fire Fighter tags were the only game in town in terms of organizational plates back in 1983. At that time they were on the blue on yellow base. Then around 2005 individual fire departments were able to enter into the plate arena with their own designs. Since that time we see fewer of these plates with the FF inside a Maltese Cross. With the slow rate of issue, it's not surprising that we have not seen plates with the map outline. Based on an inventory sheet, that change might take place at FF39700. The current issued high is FF39458. Thanks to Mike Alfonse for the photo.
Here's the latest NRA Foundation plate from Bruce Bufalini, now with the map outline. In is unknown if any of these were issued without the sticker well, and prior to the map. These plates date back to 2011, with the unique 4-digit number and 3-letter suffix, remember NASCAR plates. Vanity check shows the current registered high is 0907N/R/A.
This is a Pennsylvania Hunting Heritage image from Jordan Irazabal. Jordan indicates that this plate does not have a sticker well. Previously plate 01037H/T was documented with the map outline. This plate type dates back to 2014. According to vanity check the current registered high is 01113H/T.
This is a 1958 Bus plate with a 63 validation sticker. One notable feature about this plate is the lack of a tab slot adjacent to the 58. Plates with the tab slot were issued at least as high as O26-606. The letter 'O' prefix began in 1924 and was used up through 1967. This is a Worthpoint image.
This is a 1926 Format 8 Passenger plate. This group consisted of alpha-numeric plates starting at 'A' in Format 5 and progressing to at least C75-422 in Format 8. I know that's confusing, click the link to get a better understanding. This plate measures 6 inches by 15 inches. The photo is thanks to Shane Rudy.
This is a 1928 Tractor plate. It is also the highest known number for that year. All 1928 Tractor plates are believed to measure 6 inches by 15 inches, even those with much shorter serial numbers. TE stood for Traction Engine, an early term for Tractor. The image came from Clayton Moore.
This is a 1925 W-Weight Class Truck plate also thanks to Shane Rudy. The serial number also represents a new high. Most 5-character plates in 1925 (and 1926) measured 6 inches by 13 inches; however, because of the width of the letter 'W', these plates measured 6 inches by 15 inches.
This is a 1928 T-Weight Class Truck plate thanks to Michael Bender. Again in 1928 several plate sizes were used based on the number of characters in the serial number. This plate measures 6 inches by 13 inches. Note that the alpha character 'T' is smaller than on the 1925 plate above. This change took place in 1927 on truck plates.
Believe it or not this is a 1930 S-Weight Class plate. Many of you may recognize it as such. Beginning in 1924, PA began the R through Z weight class system, but for some reason in 1930 they embarked on a whole new system of denoting the weight classification on the plates. Click the link above to see a description of the 1930 system. This is a Worthpoint image.
4/18/2021 Posting
Apportioned Truck plates in the AH-series are part of the latest progression, having first been spotted in December of 2020. The plate shown here happens to be the lowest number spotted so far. The series started at AH-00000.
This is a personalized Bronze Star plate. Personalized plates allow up to 5 characters plus the stacked BZ. The Bronze Star is awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces for heroic or meritorious achievement. The EA-6B may refer to a Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler military aircraft. The plate type came about in November of 2012. There is also a Bronze Star for Valor plate.
This is a Combat Action Badge plate. This is part of a series of five Combat Action plates that came about as a result of Act 109 of 2014. The plate shown here is not a high, but rather a low number with the map outline. The plate photo is thanks to Zach Taylor.
This Honoring Our Women Veterans is not actually a veterans' plate, instead funds from the sale of this plate benefit the Veterans Trust Fund. As such the tag is considered a Special Fund plate. Numbers below 100 are considered reserve issue. So far it appears that only 00001W/V has been issued for the under-100 tier. Vanity check then suggests that most plates from 101 up thru 178 have been issued. This photo is thanks to Brendan Sherry.
Here's the latest Let Freedom Ring high plate from Jeff Lawson. Jerry McCoy just got 148, and remarked that in 1971 everyone got a Bicentennial plate, now 50 years later only a little over 100 of these optional plates have been issued so far. Of course they now cost $50, and for an additional $108 can be personalized.
This is a Share The Road vanity plate thanks to Mike Alfonse. It is also a member of the Special Fund series. This plate type was added on 8/8/16. Act 36 created the “Share the Road” registration plate, with proceeds maintaining PennDOT's central office position of Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator and funding highway bicycle signage. This plate does not appear to have a sticker well.
Here's a recent 60 Day Temporary Intransit cardboard tag. The plate was spotted by Jordan Irazabal who seems to own this series in terms of his prowess in documenting them. Research seems to suggest that such tags originally date back to 1946. Check the ALPCA Archives if you are a member.
This is a 1955 New Car Dealer plate. There were two new car serial formats that year, A000A and A00A0, with this plate being part of the second group. The initial A identifies the plate as a New Car Dealer and does not advance. Plates measured 6" x 10¼". This photo is thanks to Worthpoint.
This is an unused 1958 Used Car Dealer plate with a 59 sticker. It does have the tab slot. The previous year, 1957, was the first year for 6-character Dealer plates, and 1958 was the first year for the small keystone separator. This plate photo is thanks to Tom Firth.
This is an unused 1969 Passenger Validation Sticker. This photo is also thanks to Tom Firth.
4/11/2021 Posting In Legislative News, Larry Resnick sent me a headline stating Lawmakers to vote on bringing back license plate stickers. Either House Bill 334 or Senate Bill 410 appears likely to get passed and signed into law. The law would again require PennDOT to issue registration stickers. PennDOT has lost considerable revenue due to registrations not being renewed. For plate enthusiasts, would the current map disappear, and would the sticker well return? Stay tuned.
This is a personalized version of the Veteran plate. To my knowledge it's the first personalized one spotted without the sticker well, although it has not been a part of serial numbered plates for a while. If you're wondering what C2H60 stands for, it's the chemical formula for ethanol, although the final zero (0) should be the letter O. Also spotted 03191U/S, which is a new high, and did have the map outline. Could not get photo.
These Action for Animals Humane Society images are thanks to Bruce Bufalini. He spotted this plate with the map outline back in January but was not able to get a photo. Now we have that photo, unedited and edited. The previous high from Preston Turner was 10053H/S. This plate type dates back to 2012.
This Philadelphia Museum of Art plate was snapped by Eric Conner. The plate shows a new high of P/M00123, yet it is still with the original logo. The previous high was P/M00120 which still had a validation sticker. A personalized plate with a new logo was spotted back in August of 2020, without the sticker well. It is not uncommon for personalized plates to be spotted with changes to the logo before it is seen on plates from the numeric series. For what it's worth, the current registered high is P/M00129.
These near-perfect plates were part of the "LiveFreeRideAlive.com" Motorcycle series dating back to March or April of 2010. They were part of a 60,000 plate run, the theme of which was to encourage motorcycle safety. The series ran from 7600L to 7599T. No serial numbered plates were issued using letters O, Q. It may be worth mentioning that there were also some vanities issued on this base. Thanks to Devan Ciemiewicz for providing these photos.
This is a first generation Antique Motorcycle from Drewski. They were all undated, always 2 or 3 alphanumeric characters, never all-numeric except for 12 and 18 which are thought to be samples, prototypes or test plates. This series likely started at A0 or A1, making this the 68th or 69th plate produced with 1967 being the first year. The early plates, such as the one shown here, had a narrow bolt hole spacing. These plates are still street legal, but a new format came out in 2013.
This is a nice 3-digit 1955 Motorcycle plate thanks to Jeff Hinkle. The numerical progression started at 1 and went to 9999, after which the series switched to an alphanumeric format starting at A or A0 to A999, and so forth. The documented high is S38. Each letter series was exhausted before moving to the next letter.
This is a 1940 U-Weight Class Truck plate. It is the third of three serial formats used that year. The plate owner did not want credit for the photo. Still need a T0A00 series photo, and any from the V, Y and Z classes. All 1940 truck plates were 6" by 12", and were issued in pairs.
This trio of 1951 Truck plates are thanks to Worthpoint. The first plate fills the R0A00 serial format. Still needed is a picture from the R0AA0 series. In the center is a photo from the R0AA0 series. Still needed is one from the S00A0 series. Finally, the U-Weight Class Truck completes that series. Also still needed is a plate from the V00A0 series and the Z-series.
4/4/2021 Posting
Here is a pair of National Ski Patrol plates courtesy of Matt Ciecka. While these are not new highs, they do help narrow down when the plates began using the map outline. Plate number 00242S/P still had the sticker well. The previously documented high plate was 00282S/P with the map outline. Now we know the changeover was between 243 and 250.
This is a PA Society Sons of American Revolution plate recently spotted by Matt Ciecka. According to the ALPCA Archives, plates up to R/W00187 still have the sticker well. The plate shown here does not. Tom Perri's PA Plates shows R/W00191 as the documented high. The registered high is R/W00207.
This is a Pennsylvania DUI Association (Team DUI) photo combo. Thanks to Megan Levis for the use of the photo. It's a new high on this site, but Tom Perri's PA Plates shows 00097D/U still wearing a validation sticker. Vanity check lists the issued high as 00109D/U. This plate type dates back to 2005. The question has been raised as to what the organization does. From their website: It is a professional organization which is working to address the DUI problem in all of its many stages — from prevention to enforcement up to, and including, adjudication and rehabilitation. Through our efforts we create a healthier and safer environment for all people in the Commonwealth.
Here is a good image of a U.S. Army (Active Duty) plate thanks to Jordan Irazabal. These plates have been around since 2017 and plate sales have not been very brisk, probably because the U.S. Army Veteran plate has been around since 2009, with over 5000 sold. And there are not nearly as many active duty personnel as veterans. The current registered high on this series is 00043A/D.
This ADP plate is being offered on eBay, and I knew there were others like it, but never knew its purpose. Pretty sure it's not a motor vehicle plate, despite its strong resemblance to some Motorcycle plates and the 1974 Snowmobile Dealer plate. Charles Metz sent me this photo from eBay seller buch1259, looking for identification. There was also a discussion on a Facebook plate group where it was thought to be some kind of Advertising Display Permit. Click the ADP link above to see other examples. The narrow hole spacing suggests it may be pre-1985. Anyone know for sure?
The www base plate on the far left was recently spotted by Bruce Bufalini, who suggests that it is a remake of an older truck plate number. Light weight trucks are eligible to receive personalized plates. It appears likely that the original plate would have been from the period of the blue on yellow plates, like the example shown here, which would have been on the '78 base.
This is a 1945 U-Weight Class Truck plate. It represents one of four serial progressions used that year. These included: U000A, U00A0, U0A00 and U00AA, with this plate being part of the third group. Still need an image of a plate from the second group. All 1945 truck plates measured 6" by 11", and were issued as singles.
These are 1950 Truck plates representing the U-Weight Class and the V-Weight Class. The U plate completes the run of all 4 serial progressions of U000A, U00A0, U0A00 and U00AA. The V plate also completes both serial groups of V000A and V00A0. With the addition of these two plates, the run from R to Z is complete, with examples of every serial progression. The remaining gap would be all of the double letter classes. All 1950 truck plates measured 6" by 11", and were issued in pairs. These photos are thanks to Worthpoint.
3/28/2021 Posting
This combination photo shows an Associated Alumni of the Central High School sample plate on top, over the Avery Vinyl sheeting prototype. The vinyl prototype is shared with the organization prior to actual production of the plate. Central High School is a very old and prestigious Philadelphia institution. This plate program dates back to 2018 but plate sales have been slow. The current registered high is 10005C/L. We do know that at least one personalized plate has been issued. Many thanks to Paul Barnarol for sharing this image. As you may know, PA no longer sells sample plates, but produces a few to be used by the organization.
Here's a new, hot-off-the-press, Friends of Valley Forge Park plate. Thanks to John Clark for the photo, which is also a new high. This is also the first plate spotted with the map outline. The previous high, 00089V/F still had the sticker well. These plates date back to 2007.
Here are the same #1, M Club Foundation, University of Maryland plates. The far left with a 11-12 sticker, and the other with an 11-17 sticker but was recently spotted by Bill Ceravola. The early photo was from Tom Perri & Jordan Irazabal. For what it's worth, there are only 29 of these plates. The meaning of the L/W suffix is a mystery to me. Anyone?
NO PHOTO, but Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran plate 05217I/F with the map outline was spotted by Bruce Bufalini. This would also be a new high. These plates date back to 2005.
While looking through Antique Vehicle plate photos, I spotted the 9P50 plate on Worthpoint with the map outline. Previously we listed all of the 0P00 series as not having the map outline, now it appears that the map outline came about at 9P00, not the 0R00 series. This is also suggested by a warehouse inventory from the time period. See Antique Format 11 and Format 13.
As the Antique Vehicle series progressed, the sticker well disappeared and the map outline took its place. After reaching 8P99 the sticker well ended, the next series was 9P00 with the map outline, as described above. (There was no Q-series.) The series with the map extended through the V-series. Then the W-series (Format 14) appeared without the map and without the sticker well. This photo courtesy of Bruce Bufalini, shows another example of the W debacle. After the W-series, the X, Y and Z plates again had the map.
This is a non-standard issue 1955 Passenger plate. Standard-issue plates were all 4 or 5 characters in length, not 3 characters as shown here. 3-character formats could include 000, A00, 0A0, 00A, AA0, 0AA, A0A. Thanks to Jeff Hinkle for sharing this photo.
In my opinion this tag deserves 'plate of the month' status. If you are new to collecting or unfamiliar, this is a 1931 Tractor plate. While the series began at TE-1, this is the lowest number known to have survived. The TE stood for Traction Engine, an archaic term for Tractor. That term continued in use until 1934 when it was changed to Tractor. All such 1931 plates measured 6" by 15". Thanks to Lee Madigan for sharing this photo.
These photos consist of a 1940 Tractor and a 1942 Tractor plate. All such plates at the time consisted of 4 characters starting at 0001; however, in 1942 the series exceeded 9999 and an alpha-numeric series came into use starting at A000. Both years measured 6 inches by 12 inches. The images came from Worthpoint.
3/21/2021 Posting
This Amateur Radio plate from Preston Turner would get a second look from any Pennsylvania plate enthusiast. With help from Bruce Bufalini, who explains that the first character can be a single letter A, K, N, or W, or a pair of letters including AA-AL, KA-KZ, NA-NZ, and WA-WZ as shown here. The number 9 designates the region where the FCC license was originally issued, in this case IL, IN, or WI. (PA is in region 3.) Then the owner brought the call sign with him (or her) upon moving to PA. The -2 would be used to indicate a second vehicle registered with the same call sign.
This is a personalized U.S. Military Airborne Units plate. It's the first personalized Airborne plate spotted, and does not have a sticker well. This plate type dates back to 2013. The current documented high on the standard issue plates is 20461M/A, while the registered high is 20581M/A. Thanks to Jordan Irazabal for the photo.
This is a personalized Honoring Our Veterans plate which is part of the Special Fund series. Funds from the sale of this plate benefit the Veterans Trust Fund. As a personalized plate they are eligible to have 1 to 5 characters plus the H/V suffix. There is also an Honoring Our Veterans Motorcycle plate, and an Honoring Our Women Veterans plate.
This is an unused Trailer plate from the www era. This series started at XK-00000 after ending the previous yellow on blue plates within or close to the XJ-series in 2000. Plates within the series shown here are still valid, although in 2004 the 2-letter prefixes were exhausted and a new series began at XBA-0000, still on the www base. A year later in 2005 the visitPA base came into use at XCA-0000, and continues to this day with minor changes. Thanks to Tom Firth for the photo.
Here is a 1978 base Bus plate that has never seen the back of a bus. This base was issued from '78 to '84 with the starting point being BA-10000; however, these plates were eligible to be revalidated until re-plating on the www base. It still has the temporary T-sticker which was used from new until the official validation sticker was received from the state. Thanks to Tom Firth for the photo.
This is a Format 2 variant of a 1930 Dealer plate. Dealer plates were made up as follows: Format 1, X1 to X9999, in 10" & 12" sizes; Format 2, 0X to 9X999, also 10" & 12" sizes; and Format 3, 00X to 99X84, again 10" & 12". This plate image is from Worthpoint.
I've had this photo around for several years but unfortunately didn't record where it came from. Click it to enlarge the photo to better see the 1929 U-Weight Class Truck plate on a dump truck belonging to the Great Allentown Fair, an event I've enjoyed many times. 1929 used the R through the ZZ letter weight classification system. Plates varied in size depending on the number of characters. 2, 3 & 4 character plates measure 6" x 10", 5 character plates measure 6" x 13", and 6 character plates measure 6" x 15". The plate shown here would be 15 inches.
This next photo combo is from Rob Baran. The large photo shows a whole yard full of trucks and other vehicles adorned with 1931 plates. The small photo is from the 1931 U-Weight Class Truck in the lower left corner of the picture. The serial number appears to read U2J97. 1931 truck plates were all 5 characters in length, with plates measuring 6 inches by 12 inches.
This 1947 R-weight Class Truck plate is one of 5 serial progressions used that year These include R000A, R00A0, R0A00, R00AA and R0AA0. Still need a photo of a plate from the R000A series. Truck plates that year were 6 inches by 11 inches in size, and were issued in pairs. This photo came from Worthpoint.
These are welcome additions to the 1953 Truck series. Beginning with the S-weight class there were 5 different serial progressions, with two pending for next week. Next the T weight class completes the second of two serial formats. Finally a pair of U class plates completes the third and forth serial formats. Plates measure 6" x 10¼". The first three plates are thanks to Worthopoint, while the final plate is thanks to Pl8source.
3/14/2021 Posting
This new Antique Vehicle plate photo was recently received from Vern Kreckel. Figuring that this is likely a new high until looking back at the the previous high of B2ZL, then realizing that the plates were likely not issued in sequence. The way I understand the serial progression of these plates is that the starting point for the current series was A0AA, then the number is always first to advance, next the letter in the 4th position, followed by the letter in the 3rd position. The letter in the first position is always the last to advance. Confusing, yes.
The far left Millersville University of Pennsylvania plate is the lowest number on the graphic base. It is not known if there were any remakes of earlier plates with lower numbers. This plate is thanks to Jordan Irazabal. The near left plate is the current high and also the first plate spotted without the sticker well. This plate is thanks to Jaska Börner. The actual registered high is M/U02038.
Here's another high, this one showing a road shot of a Villanova University plate. The photo is from Tom Perri's webpage. Villanova's plate program dates back to 1987 with yellow on blue plates, then moved to the www base in 2001, followed by the switch to the graphic base in 2006. Then in 2018 plates starting at 00442V/U, including the plate shown here, have the map outline.
This trio of National Police Defense Foundation plates shows a high number plate that once had a sticker on the far left, then the center plate appears to be devoid of a sticker well, and the near left plate clearly displays the map. The center plate is thanks to Tom Perri. The map plate is thanks to Richard Than.
Any difference? Actually these PA State Nurses Association photos are of the same plate and frame taken almost 2 years apart. The far left from Jaska Börner, the near left from Mike Alfonse. At the present time, this is the only PSNA plate spotted with the new logo, the previous high was RN00147 with the previous logo. Vanity check shows that plates up to R/N00170 have been issued.
Great plate photo, too bad so much of it is covered up by the dealer's frame. This U.S. Merchant Marine plate was recently spotted by Bruce Bufalini. So far this is the second plate spotted, the other plate being 10030M/M. Vanity check indicates that 41 serial numbered plates have been issued.
This is a 1941 Motorbike plate. Such plates were introduced in 1920 but were never issued in large numbers. 1941 was the first year for plate numbers to exceed 1000, and it was not until 1947 that an alpha series was needed. Such plates were discontinued after 1949. This image came from Worthpoint. Many plates during the 1920s are still needed.
This is a 1922 Motorcycle plate from Mike Alfonse. This plate has been beautifully refinished in the original color scheme of brown on cream. This plate measures 4½" by 8" and was used for 4- and 5-digit serial numbers, while 1- to 3-digit plates measured 4½" by 6".
Did you recognize this as a 1924 T-Weight Class Truck plate? If you didn't, you're not alone — there is no legend identifying the type. Letters R through Z (excluding X) in the prefix position, or R in the suffix position was the identifier. Passenger plates at the time did not use letters. This welcome pair of plates shows the smallest of three sizes used that year. This shorty measures 6 inches by 10 inches and was used on T+1 to T+3 digit plates. The next size was 6 inches by 12 inches on T+4 digit plates. There were also 6-inch by 12-inch size for longer serial numbers but were only needed on Class R and Class S plates. Thanks to Jeff Fransis for the use of this photo.
No question about this being a 1936 S-Weight Class Truck plate. There are other serial formats including S000A, S00A0, S0A00 which are all 6 by 12 inch plates, and S00-00A, as shown here, which measures 6 by 15 inches. This larger size was only needed in the R and S class plates. Thanks for this plate also goes to Jeff Francis.
3/7/2021 Posting
Here is a group of Appalachian Trail Conservancy plates. The plates span the time period from plate sticker use to a new high of A/T00377. Plates at least up to A/T00241 had the sticker well, and from A/T00305 to at least A/T00325 do not have the sticker well. By A/T00334 the map outline was added. A/T00241 and A/T00334 are thanks to Brandon Sowers, A/T00377 is thanks to Jaska Börner.
This Carpenter's Union plate is a new high, thanks to Bruce Bufalini. This plate type dates back to 2002 and has never transitioned to the graphic base which means that all of the features are embossed. Of course the state name is flat and is characteristic of the www base. Organizational plates which are still on the www base are maintained in stock in a warehouse. Organizational plates on the visitPA / graphic base are made to order. A recent inventory indicates that there were some 1,300 plates in stock with serial numbers extending to C/U01999. Why?
This is a new high American Legion plate. While it may be a new high, it was recently up for grabs on an auction site. The owner, Richard Than, gave me the OK to use it. Like the plate above, this is also an organizational tag that has never moved from its original design back in 1984. The original yellow on blue plates were replaced in 2001 with the www base seen here. The registered high is A/L02661.
This is a new high Delaware Valley Triumphs Ltd. Vanity check also confirms this as the current high. This plate type dates back to 2009. This photo is thanks to Jaska Börner.
Here is the latest high Therapy Dogs United, now sporting the map outline. These plates date back to 2010. Plate 00064T/D did not have the sticker well. I borrowed this photo from Tom Perri's webpage, credit for the actual photo goes to Craig Nicholson.
Here's the latest high U.S. Air Force Veteran plate. These plates date back to 2009. I was going to say that these plates started at 20000A/F or 20001A/F, but vanity check shows the actual low number to be 20011A/F. A quick check shows that U.S. Army Veteran plates had only 1 plate below 00011A/R.
Here is a sequential pair of 1919 Format 2 Passenger plates thanks to Jeff Lesher. Format 2 plates ran from 1000 to 99999, and measured 6 inches by 13½ inches. Note the strap slots on top, and bolt holes top and bottom. Also note that the 1605 has the maker's number (today's VIN) stamped into the keystone area, while the 1606 has an aluminum keystone indicating that the plate was transferred to another vehicle. That aluminum keystone shows the maker's number of the new vehicle.
These three 1939 U-Weight Class Truck plates represent the three U class serial progressions used that year. They represent the three serial progressions of U000A, U00A0 and U0A00. These images are from Worthpoint. Still looking for Class V, Y and Z truck plates for 1939.
Next is this 1940 U-Weight Class Truck plate. This plate represents the first of three serial progressions — U000A. The others include U00A0, for which I have an image, and U0A00 for which a photo is still needed. This image is from Worthpoint. Still looking for Class V, Y and Z truck plates for 1940. The need for double letter classes goes without saying.
2/28/2021 Posting
This is the latest high U.S. Army Veteran plate, thanks to Tom Perri. This plate type dates back to 2009 with the starting point being 10001A/R. So over 5000 serial-numbered plates have been issued and quite a few personalized plates as well. There is also a U.S. Army (Active Duty) plate which is still quite rare. And don't forget the U.S. Army Reserve plate which is classified as an organizational plate rather than a veteran plate.
Here is a Veteran plate which is also a new high. This plate is from Preston Turner via Tom Perri's PAPlates.com website. These plates date back to 2005. The sticker well was removed at least as far back as 02876. So far the map outline has not been spotted. Plates above 03200U/S may have the map.
Here is a pair of Fraternal Order of Police plates. These are both at the high end of the run, but we can't exactly figure out the last two digits of the higher numbered plate. It is my understanding that this is the second most popular organizational plate behind the Penn State Alumni Association. The 22156 image is from Preston Turner via Tom Perri's webpage. The 224?? is also thanks to Tom Perri.
Here is a personalized Ringing Hill Fire Company plate. The photo is thanks to Mike Alfonse. This plate type has been around since 2009. The current high is 00031R/H but has not been updated in a while. As for plate frames, I have a soft spot for firefighters but not so much for frames, regardless of what they say.
Here is a 1952 2-digit (MBL) Motorboat plate and a 1960 2-digit (MB) plate. These were motorcycle size 4½" by 8" plates issued in pairs. Starting in 1955 the plate used the map outline. Serial sequencing started at 1 and went to 5 digits. Both of these photos came from Worthpoint.
Here is a display of 1955 Motorboat plates. Only the 402 plate has been added making a complete display of 1 to 5-digit plates. The 402 came from Worthpoint. All of the others have been previously posted. Click the link above to see the credit for the other four plates.
This is a 1944 Format 2 Motorcycle plate. It's the first '44 MC image documented using the alpha-numeric serial format. This plate was listed on eBay a while back and the plate owner Baywood58 gave me the OK to use the photo. This plate is the standard 4½" by 8" used at the time.
Here is a previously unknown 1953 Passenger plate serial format. The previous final format was D000A to P999Z. Then Eric Tanner spotted the plate shown here on eBay. This plate is part of the sequence of D00A0 to D88B0 or higher. I agree with Eric that this was likely a very late '53 issue. Thanks to eBay user wjtpa for the use of the photo.
This is believed to be a 1928 Z-Class Truck plate on a 1924 Ahrens Fox fire truck belonging to the Royersford Fire Co. The photo is thanks to Mike Alfonse. The truck appears to have solid rubber tires. Although the year is not legible on the photos, it was established by a process of elimination. This plate also appears to be a new high with the previous high being Z1-979. I always enjoy a plate or photo with some kind of historical context.
Next up is this 1934 T-Weight Class Truck plate. For that year there were three T-class serial progressions, T000A, T00A0, T0A00 with this plate part of the last group. 1934 with the word TRUCK, was the first year since 1923 to have an identifying legend. Also, since truck plates were now limited to 5 characters, more serial formats were necessary in the R, S and T classes. This plate is thanks to Worthpoint.
2/21/2021 Posting
Looks like the Emergency Medical Services plate received an update. The update has a new flat screened color logo as well as the plate legend. The map outline has also been added. This change likely occurred at E/M07000 according to an inventory report. The E/M0974 is a Bruce Bufalini plate via PAPlates, while the new plate is thanks to Justin Chobirko.
This is the latest high School Vehicle plate. These have had the map outline since SV-26800 spotted in late 2017. SV plates have gone through numerous formatting variations over the years. The series was launched in 1993 on the yellow on blue base. Thanks to Preston Turner for the photo.
In a previous posting I had asked for a Severely Disabled Veteran plate in the 80000 series. Bob Connison stepped up and kindly provided this low number D/V plate showing a 5-87 sticker suggesting the plate was issued in 1986, which is believed to be the first year for plates with the wheelchair symbol. He also provided a picture of the reverse showing the purple color as seen on Antique Historic plates.
Here's another Severely Disabled Veteran plate, this one is a new high. This plate is D/V98410; however, vanity check shows DV98758 as being the issued high. Not sure what the plan is after hitting D/V98999 since the D/V99000 series is reserved for vehicles qualifying for two plates as a result of having a device on the rear of the vehicle for carrying a wheelchair or personal assistive device. Thanks to Tom Perri for the image.
Here is a recent photo of an Expeditionary Forces Veteran plate. This is the first plate spotted with the map outline. It is also the current high. This plate type had its start in 1995 and has always used a 4-digit serial number, although there are a few vanities out there. Thanks to Mike Alfonse for sharing the photo.
This is a miniature 1957 Press Photographer keychain tag. Jerry McCoy saw the recent posting of Press Photographer plates and passed along this photo of a rare PP keychain tag of the type that the Disabled American Veterans used to send out as a fund raiser. (There are no plans to begin posting these DAV tags.)
This photo I should have posted last week along with the Press Photographer display of the 58 base PP230 plates. This is a larger photo showing the 61, 62 and 63 validation stickers. Compare these stickers with those below. Thanks to John Anshant for the photo.
Starting on the far left is a pair of PP87 plates with 64 PA0000 stickers. Next is another pair of PP87 plates on the '65 base with stickers from 66 to 70. Unfortunately it appears that the 68 sticker faded out. Beginning with the 66 sticker, all of the sticker serial numbers begin with PP. 1970 plates were naturals with 71 etched into the upper left sticker well. I don't know how far the PP stickers were used, but as of 75, it appears that passenger stickers were used. Thanks to John Anshant for the great photos.
The far left is a 1960, blue on white, 4-digit Motorboat plate is from Fred Schmidt. The next is a 1962, white on purple, 5-digit Motorboat plate. The third is a 1963, white on red, 5-digit Motorboat plate. These last two are from the Bill Krellner collection. 1963 was the final year for Motorboat plates. Concerning Motorboat Dealer tags, there are many years for which I have no photos, if anyone can help. Needed are 37, 38, 40 through 45, 51 through 53, 57, 61 and 62. Thanks.
It may not be a thing of beauty, but it does represent the first of three 1934 S-Weight Class Truck plate progressions. These include S000A shown here, and S00A0 and S0A00. All 5-character 1936 truck plates measured 6 inches by 12 inches. There were some R and S overflow plates with 6 characters measuring 6 inches by 15 inches. Thanks to Worthpoint for the image.
The final Truck plate this week is this 1945 V-Weight Class Truck tag. Thanks to Rob Baran for providing this image. The use of the Y in the serial progression makes me wonder how far the series actually progressed and if any plates were made in the V00A0 series, which would have been next if V999Z were surpassed. We may never know. All 1945 truck plates were 5-character and measured 6 inches by 11 inches.
2/14/2021 Posting In Legislative News — House Bill 334 has been reintroduced. The bill, if passed, would require PennDot to issue registration expiration stickers on Pennsylvania registration plates. PennDot has lost considerable revenue due to registrations not being renewed. A previous legislative effort did not pass.
In Legislative News — House Bill 478 would allow the DCNR registration of Off-Highway Motorcycles (OHM) such as dirt bikes and trail bikes. Such registrations would provide legal access to trails on public lands similar to ATVs and Snowmobiles. Revenues generated from OHM registrations would be used for trail development and maintenance. Bill would provide for a registration plate and a dealer registration plate.
This is the earliest (lowest number) Disabled Veteran plate I've seen. My understanding is that these plates date back to 1982 and started at DV-0000; however, research of the legislation behind these plates several years ago was confusing. Also see DV plates below. This image came from Worthpoint.
While this plate appears to just be a higher plate in the same series as the above plate, the validation sticker dates and much higher serial number would indicate that this plate had to be part of a different series. I believe this over-40,000 series was the beginning of the Severely Disabled Veteran distinction prior to the use of the wheelchair symbol and the 80-thousand number series. See the D/V plate below. Other thoughts?
Based on the premise above, this plate would be part of the Severely Disabled Veteran series after the series was given a new number block starting at D/V80000 plus the wheelchair symbol. This series is believed to date back to 1986. This image is thanks to Clayton Moore. Anyone have a plate or photo in 80000 or 81000 series?
This is a new high U.S. Marine Corps Veteran plate. These plates date back to late 2009 with the starting point of 10000M/C. This photo is thanks to Bruce Bufalini. It may be worth mentioning that there is also a U.S. Marine Corps (Active Duty) plate that came about in 2017. Don't forget that there was an early organizational plate called U.S. Marine Reserve which actually made its debut in 1987 on the yellow on blue base.
Tracking plate changes from sticker well, to no sticker well, to map outline, while it's a fun part of the hobby, it's also a pain in the butt. Anyway, this Children's Hospital of Philadelphia plate is the highest with sticker that I have, while 00522C/H has also been documented with the sticker well. Lowest number spotted without the sticker well is 00547C/H. Thanks to Bruce Bufalini for the image.
Mike Alfonse recently snapped the photo showing a new Limerick Fire Company high number plate. The photo also shows that the organization changed their logo. The lower number plate is from Tom Perri's PAPlates.com website showing the old logo. That plate still has the sticker well. The new plate has the map outline.
These three Motorboat Licenses are thanks to Fred Schmidt. The far left is a 1953, white on green 3-digit plate. Later '53 plates used fiberboard. The center plate is a 1956 5-character, also white on green, now with the state map outline and MBL shortened to MB, not to be confused with Motorbike. The final plate is a 1958 white on red tag. These were issued in pairs and measured 4½" by 8". Motorboat plates were sequential starting at 1, my goal is to show 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5-digit plates where possible.
Here are three early Press Photographer plates and registration cards. John Anshant recently posted these photos noting that they had belonged to a Philadelphia newspaper reporter who passed away in 1993. John indicates that this "establishes with some certainty the advent of the use of PP for press plates". We also know that on February 10, 1956, Governor George Leader signed the Press Photograph License Plate Bill. This enabled the issuing of Press Photograph License Plates beginning in 1956. There were earlier PP plates dating to the late '40s but these were not official. The plates shown here include a 1956, '57 and a '58 revalidated until 1963. To my knowledge plates were always issued in pairs, and the plates never used a Press Photographer legend. Next week I will post some additional PP-related material.
This is a 1941 U-Weight Class Truck plate. For that year there were three U-weight class serial progressions including U000A, U00A0, U0A00, with the plate shown here being part of the first group. All plates measured 6 inches by 12 inches. This photo is a Worthpoint image.
Concerning Truck Plates, for each year I have tried to identify each weight class where a photo is still needed. Any help would be very much appreciated.
2/14/2021 Posting In Legislative News — House Bill 334 has been reintroduced. The bill, if passed, would require PennDot to issue registration expiration stickers on Pennsylvania registration plates. PennDot has lost considerable revenue due to registrations not being renewed. A previous legislative effort did not pass.
In Legislative News — House Bill 478 would allow the DCNR registration of Off-Highway Motorcycles (OHM) such as dirt bikes and trail bikes. Such registrations would provide legal access to trails on public lands similar to ATVs and Snowmobiles. Revenues generated from OHM registrations would be used for trail development and maintenance. Bill would provide for a registration plate and a dealer registration plate.
This is the earliest (lowest number) Disabled Veteran plate I've seen. My understanding is that these plates date back to 1982 and started at DV-0000; however, research of the legislation behind these plates several years ago was confusing. Also see DV plates below. This image came from Worthpoint.
While this plate appears to just be a higher plate in the same series as the above plate, the validation sticker dates and much higher serial number would indicate that this plate had to be part of a different series. I believe this over-40,000 series was the beginning of the Severely Disabled Veteran distinction prior to the use of the wheelchair symbol and the 80-thousand number series. See the D/V plate below. Other thoughts?
Based on the premise above, this plate would be part of the Severely Disabled Veteran series after the series was given a new number block starting at D/V80000 plus the wheelchair symbol. This series is believed to date back to 1986. This image is thanks to Clayton Moore. Anyone have a plate or photo in 80000 or 81000 series?
This is a new high U.S. Marine Corps Veteran plate. These plates date back to late 2009 with the starting point of 10000M/C. This photo is thanks to Bruce Bufalini. It may be worth mentioning that there is also a U.S. Marine Corps (Active Duty) plate that came about in 2017. Don't forget that there was an early organizational plate called U.S. Marine Reserve which actually made its debut in 1987 on the yellow on blue base.
Tracking plate changes from sticker well, to no sticker well, to map outline, while it's a fun part of the hobby, it's also a pain in the butt. Anyway, this Children's Hospital of Philadelphia plate is the highest with sticker that I have, while 00522C/H has also been documented with the sticker well. Lowest number spotted without the sticker well is 00547C/H. Thanks to Bruce Bufalini for the image.
Mike Alfonse recently snapped the photo showing a new Limerick Fire Company high number plate. The photo also shows that the organization changed their logo. The lower number plate is from Tom Perri's PAPlates.com website showing the old logo. That plate still has the sticker well. The new plate has the map outline.
These three Motorboat Licenses are thanks to Fred Schmidt. The far left is a 1953, white on green 3-digit plate. Later '53 plates used fiberboard. The center plate is a 1956 5-character, also white on green, now with the state map outline and MBL shortened to MB, not to be confused with Motorbike. The final plate is a 1958 white on red tag. These were issued in pairs and measured 4½" by 8". Motorboat plates were sequential starting at 1, my goal is to show 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5-digit plates where possible.
Here are three early Press Photographer plates and registration cards. John Anshant recently posted these photos noting that they had belonged to a Philadelphia newspaper reporter who passed away in 1993. John indicates that this "establishes with some certainty the advent of the use of PP for press plates". We also know that on February 10, 1956, Governor George Leader signed the Press Photograph License Plate Bill. This enabled the issuing of Press Photograph License Plates beginning in 1956. There were earlier PP plates dating to the late '40s but these were not official. The plates shown here include a 1956, '57 and a '58 revalidated until 1963. To my knowledge plates were always issued in pairs, and the plates never used a Press Photographer legend. Next week I will post some additional PP-related material.
This is a 1941 U-Weight Class Truck plate. For that year there were three U-weight class serial progressions including U000A, U00A0, U0A00, with the plate shown here being part of the first group. All plates measured 6 inches by 12 inches. This photo is a Worthpoint image.
Concerning Truck Plates, for each year I have tried to identify each weight class where a photo is still needed. Any help would be very much appreciated.
2/7/2021 Posting
It was just a matter of time until someone decided to give their Audi that Euro-plate look, complete with their PennDOT Passenger registration number. The registration number on this plate is a valid listing; however, I certainly wouldn't press my luck on the street with this plate. There are companies that market such plates. Thanks to John Anshant for posting this photo.
Here is a trio of Organ Donors Save Lives plates. The far left image from Bruce Bufalini, D/N01822, has no sticker, but Bruce was unable to tell if it had a sticker well. The center photo now shows the map outline. We don't know when the map was added but likely somewhere between the left and center plate numbers. The D/N01885 photo was my own photo, and the D/N01942 came from Preston Turner and is the current documented high. Vanity check shows the registered high as D/N02060.
This was the first serial-numbered PA Society of Professional Engineers plates spotted. Previously a personalized plate was posted. The plate shown here came from Brendan Sherry and was on Tom Perri's PAPlates.com website. As of now, only 8 serial numbered plates have been issued which helps explain why more plates have not been spotted.
The Prince Hall F&AM plate on the far left is the highest plate spotted, and was photographed recently by Jaska Börner. Vanity check shows active plates as high as M/M01910, with some gaps. Anyone know if the graphic format, near left image, ever made its debut? The graphic prototype was revealed in 2015, but so far no plates have been spotted.
This is a 1937 Motorbike plate, not a Motorboat plate as that would use MBL as the identifier, although Motorboats used MB from '55 to '63. Thanks to Tiger Joe for this photo. Motorbike plates ran from 1920 until 1949 after which they were discontinued. Motorbikes were sometimes referred to as Motor Bicycles or Bicycle Side Motors. Today they are more commonly referred to as Mopeds, short for motorized pedal-cycle. Moped plates were introduced in 1977. The use of foot pedals and a crank, among other things, differentiated them from motorcycles. Early plate history in the 1920s is very sketchy, if anyone has something to share, it would be appreciated.
This 1927 2-digit Passenger plate deserves top-billing. Tim Gierschick recently acquired this gem, which adds to his collection of 2-digit plates. Tim says, "Now I only need a 1925, 1930 and 1932 to complete my 1906-1935 2 digit set." Can anyone help?"
Here is a very nice 1922 Format 4 Passenger plate from Mike Alfonse. Passenger plates that year ran from 1 to over 764-000 making this plate toward the higher end of the run. This plate measures 6" by 16". Plates with up to 3 digits were 6" by 10", 4-dight plates were 6" by 12", and 5-digits were 6" x 13½".
This is a 1932 Format 3 Passenger plate. Format 3 included 0A, 0A0, shown here, 0A00 and 0A000 serial formats. Sizes would be 6 inches by 10 inches as shown here, and 6 inches by 12 inches for 5-character plates. Thanks to Pl8source for the use of this plate photo.
Between 1924 and 1933 truck plates did not have any legend that identified them as such. So it is with this 1933 V-Weight Class Truck plate. All 1933 truck plates were 6 characters in length with the first character identifying the weight class from R to Z on 2-axle vehicles, and the first two letters identifying 3-axle truck classes with the letters RZ to ZZ. All truck plates measured 6" by 15". Thanks to Jeff Hinkle for this photo.
1/31/2021 Posting
This personalized Person with Disability plate was photographed by John Anshant. The owner of this vehicle introduced his handicapped daughter to John. She is a big Beatles fan. It's always nice when there is a story behind the plate. Personalized PD plates are available with up to 5 characters.
Nothing all that unique about this Severely Disabled Veteran plate, but what is unique is that it is part of dual plate series of D/V99000. The D/V99000 series is for vehicle owners who have a carrier on the rear of the vehicle for holding a wheelchair or personal assistive device. They are authorized to be issued two plates since the assistive device and carrier may block visibility of the vehicle mounted plate. Obviously the assistive device and the second plate were not on this vehicle at the time of the photo. Thanks to Mike Alfonse for the photo. It may be worth mentioning that this 2-plate option is also available on Disabled Veteran in the DV-79000 series, and Person with Disability in the 98000PD series, and as PD vanities.
This eye-catching Antique Vehicle plate is a recent acquisition of Jeff Lesher. This plate, with its 3-digit number, is a personalized plate. All plates that are part of the standard serial progression contain 4 characters. The earliest white on purple Antique plates from the late 1950s were all-numeric starting at 1 and progressing to 9999. Later plates were all alpha-numeric.
No photos yet, but Preston Turner reports seeing a Keystone Elk Country Alliance vanity plate with K/EELK4U. He was not able to get a photo. Vanity check also shows that 13 serial numbered plates have now been issued. If you are interested in a plate, go to their website, not to be confused with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
While on the subject of Antique plates, we have these two early Antique Motorcycle plates also from Jeff Lesher. Antique M/C plates date back to 1967 and were initially planned to run from A0 to Z99. While a couple all numerical plates are known to exist, they are believed to be samples or courtesy plates. So the B0 is part of the first group from A0 to D99. Starting at E0 the PENNA and MOTORCYCLE changed places. Then the next group starting at G1, PENNA and MOTORCYCLE again flip-flopped bringing them back to what you see here. In addition to the the alpha-numeric sequences, the original hole spacing was narrow as seen here. Starting somewhere between the L and P-series the hole spacing was widened. It appears that some early plate numbers may have been reissued on wide hole-spacing plates.
This beautiful white on black porcelain 1914 Format 6 Passenger plate combo is thanks to Jeff Hinkle. Format 6 ran from 30000 to 99999, with this plates measuring 6" by 14". The reverse of the plate shows Brilliant Mfg Co., 1035 Ridge Ave., Phila., PA as the manufacturer. Brilliant produced the plates for PA from 1912 to 1916. Click the link above to see additional plates and details. For historians, Eric Taylor has an interesting article on this company.
These 1949 Passenger plates help to fill 4-character slots in Format 3 which ran from 1A00 to 9Z999, and Format 4 which included 10A0 to 99Z99. All plates were 6-inches by 11-inches for both 4- and 5-character plates. These photos came from Worthpoint, a service I subscribe to. There are still many Passenger plate formats for which I have no image. These are identified as Image needed in the photo galleries. Help with any of these is always much appreciated.
-These are 1925, '26, '27 and '28 Trailer plates. Trailer plates began using the TT prefix in 1924. Previously a single T was used but in 1924 Truck plates began using R through Z, including T, to identify weight classes, so trailer plates changed to TT. The 1925 above, still uses full size Ts, while the '26 plates part way through the year switched to the smaller Ts, as did all the later plates. Plate highs are not firmly established but the '26 and '27 plates may establish new highs. The '25 and high number '28 are thanks to Clayton Moore. The other 3 plates were from Bill Krellner's collection. (I had actually posted 3 of these in late December but never linked them to this home page.)
This is thought to be a U.S. Congress / Member of Congress plate from 1958. While we don't have provenance to go along with the plate, it does follow the serial formatting at the time, except for the wide spacing between the characters. Some plates had the MC in the prefix position to allow registration of 2 vehicles. This is a Worthpoint image.
This is a first generation Villanova University Alumni Association plate. These organizational plates date back to 1987. The range of the 1st generation plates was from V/U00001 to V/U01790. After the 2001 re-plating, plates were again redesigned in 2006, but not spotted until 2009, now with V/U in the suffix position. Plate photo is from Worthpoint.
1/24/2021 Posting
Here's a very recent issue Goshen Fire Company plate from Ryan Battin. It has the map outline, but plates with higher numbers do not. The original plate began peeling, and was then replaced with this plate having the same number. Click the link above to see additional Goshen plates. The current issued high is 20068G/F.
It's not a thing of beauty but this Permanent Trailer plate does move the needle forward on the progression of the serial number. The letter K on this plate is always the last character to advance, while the numerical sequences, 550 8, advances with each plate. The PT prefix does not advance. Thanks to Bruce Bufalini for this photo. This plate is also listed in the Permanent Trailer History section.
These are 1928 Format 3 Dealer plates, with the 'X' indicating the plate type. The serial number also establishes this pair as the series high, or at least until a higher plate surfaces. These plates measure 6 inches by 15 inches. Click the link above to see 6-inch by 10-inch and 6-inch by 13-inch plates with shorter serial numbers. Thanks to Clayton Moore for the use of the plate photos.
This is a 1945 Format 1 Dealer plate. That group includes the series X100 to X9999, so both 4- and 5-character plates were issued. There was also a series with the 'X' in the second position. All such plates measured 6 inches by 11 inches. Thanks to Clayton Moore for the use of the plate photo.
Here we have a pair of low-numbered 1931 and 1932 Legislative plates. Early legislative plates were issued from 1928 up through 1935. Except for 1928 and early '29 plates they all shared a similar appearance to those shown here. They were issued in pairs and were 6" by 12" in size. The source of the 1931 photo is unknown. The 1932 plate photo is thanks to John Anshant.
Last week I added a few older Motorboat Licenses (MBL) Plates. Here are a few more starting with this 1947, 5⅛-inch by 11-inch white on blue plate. 1- to 4-digit plates that year were smaller at 5⅛-inch by 9½-inch. Next is the low-number 1950 red on white 4½-inch by 8-inch plate, and finally the 1952 blue on yellow plate of the same size. These plates are all thanks to Fred Schmidt.
These were part of a group of low-number 1950s plates posted by Jeff Lesher. At the time, plates with fewer than 4 characters were considered non-standard issue. Previously I posted a 1954, #102 and '55, #426. According to Jeff, 102 may have been used by Auditor General Charles Smith. While these plates are being listed in the Passenger series, they are also being listed with State Officials & Dignitaries.
Can you identify this plate? If not, it's a 1919 1-star weight class truck plate. The 'C' was part of every truck plate that year, the 47 being the lowest serial number I've seen. Note the single star on the right side designating this as the lightest weight class. Classes extended to 5 stars. Much thanks to John Willard for sharing this plate.
1/17/2021 Posting
This is a personalized version of a Delaware County Fallen Firefighter & EMS Memorial Committee. That's a long title to put on a plate so a couple of the words have been abbreviated. Personalizing the plate allows for 1 to 5 characters plus the D/C suffix. The FOP emblem was added by the owner. Thanks to John Anshant for the photo.
Here is the first image of a Mount Aloysius College plate. This facility had plates on the road as of February 2018, but so far there are only 4 serial-numbered plates issued. There could also be personalized plates. One might wonder why a 4-year college can only market 4 plates while small volunteer fire companies may have 40 to 60 plates on the road.
Here's a new high University of Scranton plate that was recently photographed by Jaska Börner. This was a tough night time shot but clearly displays the map outline. The previous high was U/S11371 without the map. This plate program dates back to 1995 with a starting point of U/S10000.
Here is the most recent high Action for Animals Humane Society from Preston Turner. A few days ago Bruce Bufalini spotted 10069H/S but was unable to get a picture. He did note that the plate he saw had the map outline. So somewhere between 54 and 69 the map was added. The current issued high is 10070H/S.
This is a rare 1954 Transit Dealer plate. The history of such plates is very sketchy. We don't know the meaning of Transit Dealer. We also don't know the starting year for certain, but the final series of 1951 passenger started at D000A, apparently leaving the A000A, B000A and C000A for the dealer series. A 1952 sample, C123A is known to exist. For 1954 we have the plate shown here which was from the Bill Krellner collection and C339A from John Willard.
This is a non-standard issue 1956 Passenger plate, which means a plate with fewer than 4 characters. Plates with other 3 character combinations may have existed; however, this is the only one known to exist. Such plates were more plentiful during the 1953 to '55 period. Or could this plate have been issued to a state official? Thanks to Jeff Lesher for the photo of this rare plate.
After posting a couple 1952 U-Weight Class Truck plates on 1/3, Rob Baran sent this photo of a plate with a serial format that had not been previously listed here. Up till now only U000A, U00A0 and U0A00 were listed; now with this plate, U00AA has been added. Always happy for updates and corrections.
Motorboat License (MBL) plates were first issued in 1931 and continued through 1963. During this time period a variety of plate sizes and color combinations were used. Fred Schmidt recently posted a group photo and has kindly allowed me to use his plate pictures. There were already photos from this period on this site but these photos show plates having more or fewer characters than those previously posted. The plates shown here all measure 6 inches by 12 inches and employ a beveled edge, which is unlike motor vehicle plates. Plates were issued in pairs.
1/10/2021 Posting
Here's the latest high Antique Vehicle plate from Preston Turner. These are certainly less common in the middle of winter. The way I understand the serial progression of these plates is that the starting point for the current series was A0AA, then the number is always first to advance, next the letter in the 4th position, followed by the letter in the 3rd position. The letter in the first position is always the last to advance.
This Korean War Veteran is not a low number but is the lowest on this site. Very few such plates are issued today, but are still available. This plate has never been updated. A related plate would be the Korean Defense Service Medal. Thanks to Jeff Lawson for the photo.
This Vietnam War Veteran plate is the lowest number I've seen. The Vietnam conflict went on for may years and left scars on the nation and on those who served. The war ended in 1975 but new plates are still being issued, however, I'm sure the number are declining. These plates date back to 1999, with highs today over 11000. Thanks to Jeff Lawson for the photo.
The far left State Senator photo was taken back in 2012. The near left photo was taken recently by Jeff Lawson. Aside from the difference in spacing, the 2012 plate was on the www base, while the current plate is on the visitPA base. Have not seen any political plates with the map outline yet.
This remarkable pair of 1924 plates represents the first year of Official Use plates, intended for use on state owned vehicles. A newspaper article from 12/27/1923 from the Wilkes-Barre Record passed on to me by Eric Tanner, indicated that for 1924 plates with an S-suffix would designate state-owned vehicles. Plate 1-S would be for the Governor, plate 11-S shown here, would be for the Secretary of Agriculture. Thanks to Jeff Lesher for the photo of this unique pair.
Thanks to Jeff Lesher we have this 1925 Official Use plate, still with a low number. Without any legend indicating the plate type, it's easy to see that such plates were not easily recognized, and ended up in a box of non-descript plates. This plate and the '24 plate above are definitely not truck S-class overflow plates. This is the first image of a 1925 Official plate and fills an important gap. Anyone have another?
This section on 1958 Truck plates is similar to the 1957 piece above. As described above, Rob Baran noticed a difference in the letters R and U on some plates. The stacked R weight class plates show the sans-serif R on the upper plate and the serif R below. I'm not sure how to describe the U class plates other than the U in the upper plate has a flatter bottom than the U on the lower plate. Again, no attempt will be made to determine the serial ranges of these variations. The upper left R image is from Rob Baran, the lower left, previously posted, was from Chuck Sakryd, the upper U-plate, previously posted, was from Jerry McCoy, the lower U-plate is from Rob Baran.
1/3/2021 Posting
Happy New Year and happy plate hunting May 2021 be a better year for all of us.
Here is a new high Honoring Our Veterans plate. This plate still has the sticker well, but a check of a 2020 BMV report shows that a new batch of plates will begin at 03200H/V. So it is likely that either the sticker well will be removed, or the map outline will have been added. Thanks to Brendan Sherry for the photo.
I wouldn't have thought that getting a good low number close-up of the AH-Prefix Apportioned Truck plate would be so challenging. This required a through-the-fence zoom shot, but worth the effort. Just for fun this pictorial progression is being displayed showing a condensed history of Apportioned Truck plates. As the prefixes progressed starting with AA, AB, etc., there were no AC prefix plates. This may have resulted from the AC prefix being held in reserve for use by Allegheny College whose plate program dates at least back to 1997.
Here is a very unusual single letter 1931 Passenger plate. Single letter plates were actually part of a larger series of A to Z9999. I would guess that such plates were also likely early vanities, even though they were part of a larger group of plates. This is a Jeff Lesher plate.
This is a 1933 Format 7 Passenger plate. Format 7 included AA to ZZ & AA1 to ZZ99 and were 10-inch plates. Many of these 2-letter plates were likely early vanities The plate shown here is thanks to John Anshant, and he notes that one H is inverted. Which H is it?
Last week we featured several 3-character non-standard issue, and 4 digit standard issue plates. This week we have several more very low number 4-digit Passenger plates from 1951 and 1952. The first series of standard issue plates started at 1001 and extended to 99999. Thanks much to Jeff Lesher for posting a group of these plates. More next week.
These 1942 Trailer plates were added to replace earlier photos of lesser quality. 1942 saw the use of 3 serial progressions, Format 1 - 0001 to 9999, Format 2 - A000 to Z999, and Format 3 - 0A00 to 9Z99. 0010 photo came from Drewski, the other is from Worthpoint.
Next up is this 1945 Format 1 Trailer plate. Trailer plates for 1945 used 4 serial progressions including 0001 to 9999, A000 to Z999, 0A00 to 9Z99, and 00A0 to 99Z9. All plates were 4 characters and measured 6 inches by 11 inches. The plate shown here is from Worthpoint.
This is a 1942 S-Weight Class truck plate with a '43 tab attached. 1942 had 4 S-class serial progressions, S000A, S00A0, S0A00, S00AA. With the addition of the plate shown here, there are now photos of three of the four S-class progressions. These plates were 6" by 12". Thanks to Jeff Hinkle for the use of the photo.
These are 1945 S-Weight Class and U-Weight Class truck plates. The S-Class used 3 serial progressions, so with the addition of this plate there are photos of two of the three. The U-Class used 4 serial progressions. With the addition of this plate, there are photos of two of the four. Both of these are Worthpoint images.
The final truck tags consist of these 1952 U-Weight Class plates. The U-Class was made up of three serial progressions. With the addition of these images, all three serial groups are represented. These plates measure 6 inches by 11 inches. The images came from Worthpoint.
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