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PLATE TYPE
(first year of issue)
PLATE FORMATTING
REFERENCE INFORMATION |
PLATE PHOTOS & NEEDED IMAGES |
UPDATES |
SAMPLES AND PROTOTYPES |
IS PLATE VANITY ELIGIBLE?
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Antique Historic Car / Antique
Vehicle (1956 to present) |
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FORMAT 1:
1
to 9999
First issued 1956, type still
in use.
Debossed border. |
Single-digit plate
from Jake Eckenrode
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from Jake Eckenrode
from Chris Van Zandt
from Chris Van Zandt
2-digit plate
3-digit plates circa 1956
from Devan Ciemiewicz, now Jerry McCoy
4-digit plate
#3889 issued 9/29/69
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Samples
from Bob Connison
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FORMAT 2: A000 to Z999
Debossed border, circa 1970 ~ 1985 |
from Ed Coghill |
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FORMAT 3: 000A to 999Z
Debossed border
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from Arthur
Levine
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FORMAT 4: AA00 to BZ99
Debossed border |
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FORMAT 5: CA00 to ZZ99
Embossed white border |
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FORMAT 6: 00AA to 99ZZ
Embossed white border
High plate observed: 99ZV |
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Antique
Vehicle
FORMAT 7: A00A to Z99Z
According to Steve
Moskowitz, the holder
of plate A00A, the graphic is a 1920 Oldsmobile Model 37 Roadster.
Applications for an antique tag
received after 1/31/05 get the new style plate, or a purple plate holder can
replace that plate for $7.50 and a completed MV-44. All new plates
will be in the A00A format - no reissues will be done of existing numbers.
The new series began with A00A.
Note that the characters placement is not
always uniform. On some plates it has been shifted to the right.
Also plate series P00A - P99Z is reserved for Person with Disability
Motorcycle plates and would not be duplicated.
Note that some plate holders place an image of
their own vehicle over the image on the plate.
In PA the use of the
letters I, O, Q and U would not be used in this series until Format 11 is
reached in 2016 and I and O are put into the progression. |
A00A, click to enlarge
from Jeff Lesher
from Jeff Lesher
from Bill Ceravola |
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FORMAT 8: 0AA0 to 9DZ9
The first alpha-character is the last to
advance, the second alpha-character, is next to the last. The progression
appears to be 0AA0, 0AA1, then after 9AA9 would come 0AB0, etc. Format first seen 5/2012
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from Bruce Bufalini
from Ryan Battin |
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FORMAT 9: 0EA0 to
between 4FJ6
and 0FL1. Only difference between Format 8 & 9 is the use of a
bolder font on the ANTIQUE VEHICLE legend. The first alpha-character is the last to
advance, the second alpha-character, is next to the last. Format first seen
7/2013. |
from Ryan Battin
from Ryan Battin |
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Comparison of Format 8 & 9 legends from
Clayton Moore |
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FORMAT 10: From between
4FJ7 and 0FL2 to 9ZZ9
The car image has been replaced with the words PA ANTIQUE HISTORIC VEHICLE.
Format first seen 8/2013. |
from Ryan Battin
from Ryan Battin |
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FORMAT 11: From
0A00 to 8P99. Letters 'I' and 'O' used in serial number.
Format added 7/17/2016. Has sticker well.
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from Jeff Lawson
from Bruce Bufalini
from Ryan Battin |
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FORMAT 11A:
Personalized, up to 4
characters. |
from Steve Ondik
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FORMAT 12:
Personalized,
up to 4 characters. Without sticker well and without map outline.
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from Steve Ondik
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Format 13: From 9P00 to
9Z99, excluding the 0W00 series. Unknown if the U series was
used. Format added
11/5/2017. Without sticker well and with map outline.
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from Worthpoint
See W-Series below under Format
14
from Ryan Battin |
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Format
13A:
Personalized,
up to 4 characters. Without sticker well and with map outline. |
from Jeff Lesher |
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Format 14: At this point it appears that all of the
W plates, at least up to 8W97, are without the sticker well and without the
map outline. |
from Bruce Bufalini
from Ryan Battin |
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Format 15:
From 00A0
Format added
6/24/2017. Without sticker well and with map outline. |
from Bill Stephens |
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Format 16:
Next series from A0AA. Format added 3/15/2020. Without sticker well and with map outline.
To current
high. |
from Bruce Bufalini
from Jeff Lesher |
Image added
8/13
Image added
9/17
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Fake Plates
The V83H plate appears to have a number from the current
Antique Vehicle series, but is on a base that resembles the previous issue
Antique Historic Car, with the colors coming from the Collectible (Vehicle)
series. The frame is hiding the border.
The T80Z
plate appears to have a serial number from the Format 7 series A00A to Z99Z;
however these plates were on the visitPA base with the 1920 Olds picture.
Both plates are considered fake.
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from Jordan Irazabal
from Bruce Bufalini |
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Antique Motorcycle
(1967 to present) |
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Antique Motorcycle plates
between 1 and 999 were never issued. The '12'
plate is believed to have been a sample, prototype or test plate.
The '18' was made at a later date, possibly as a favor. Note the
wide bolt hole spacing indicating that it was not an early
plate.
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from John Willard
from Michael Wiener |
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Yes
as configured in Format 12 below |
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FORMAT
1: A0
to D99
PENNA on top MOTORCYCLE on bottom. Plates measure 4½" x 8".
Narrow hole spacing
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from Drewski
from Jeff Lesher
from Sarge/Klassy Karz |
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FORMAT 2: E0 to E99
MOTORCYCLE on top, PENNA on bottom.
Narrow hole spacing.
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from Ned Flynn
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from Dave Lincoln |
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FORMAT 3: F0 to G99
PENNA on top, MOTORCYCLE on bottom.
Narrow hole spacing.
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from Vman
from Jeff Lesher |
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FORMAT 4: H0 to
between K99
and N99,
MOTORCYCLE on top, PENNA on bottom.
Narrow hole spacing. |
from Worthpoint
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FORMAT 5:
From between
L0
and
P0
to
Z99
MOTORCYCLE on top, PENNA on bottom.
Wide hole spacing. |
from Worthpoint
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FORMAT
6: 0A
to 99Z
MOTORCYCLE on top, PENNA on bottom.
Wide hole spacing.
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FORMAT
7: 0A0 to 9Z9
MOTORCYCLE on top, PENNA on bottom.
Wide hole spacing.
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from Clayton Moore
from
Devan Ciemiewicz
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FORMAT
8: AA0 to ZZ9
MOTORCYCLE on top, PENNA on bottom, wide hole spacing, format added 9/11/05
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FORMAT
9: A0A to Z9Z
MOTORCYCLE on top, PENNA on
bottom, wide hole spacing, format added 7/13/08
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from Charlie Metz
from Ryan Battin
from Ryan Battin |
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FORMAT
10: A0, A00
After exhausting the A0A to Z9Z series, 0AA was
expected. Instead some older numbers from Format 1 and possibly other old
formats were being issued or reissued, but the legends are reversed and the hole spacing
is wider on the new plates. This A45 plate on the right was issued 10/2012. The formatting is
similar to Format 1 which was exhausted many years ago. This also shows two plates with the same number issued many years apart.
There are also reports of new plates X5 and G8 being newly issued. All above plates measures 4½ x 8. |
from Ryan Battin
from Ryan Battin |
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FORMAT
11: 01000 to 09999
This format and numbering system appears to
have been released around 5/2013. Plate measures 4x7
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from Cody Raspen
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from Ryan Battin |
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FORMAT 11A:
Personalized, up
to 5 characters |
from Ryan Battin |
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FORMAT 12: 000A0
This format and numbering system first spotted around 5/2021. Plate measures 4" x 7".
To current
high. |
from Will Stephens
from Bruce Bufalini
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Classic Car / Classic Vehicle
(1977 to present) |
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FORMAT 1: 10000 to 19999
PENNSYLVANIA on top and CLASSIC
CAR on bottom. |
from Clayton Moore
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Yes
as configured on later plates in Format 8A & 9A below |
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FORMAT 2: 20000 to 20999
A brief series of 1000 plates were stamped with conventional dies in place of the 'antique' dies. PENNSYLVANIA
on top and CLASSIC CAR on bottom. |
from Jeff Hinkle
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FORMAT 3: 21000 to 39499
At 21000 the plates returned to the antique
dies, PENNSYLVANIA on top and CLASSIC CAR on bottom.
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FORMAT 4: 39500 to 50799?
CLASSIC CAR on top and PENNSYLVANIA
on bottom. |
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FORMAT 5:
50800? to 50999 PENNSYLVANIA on top and CLASSIC CAR on bottom.
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from Jeff Lawson
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FORMAT 6: 51000 to 99999
CLASSIC CAR on top and PENNSYLVANIA on bottom.
Note the 51746 plate has a permanent validation sticker. This has not
previously been seen on this plate type.
NOTE: Plate 56756 was issued 1/24/97. |
from Bruce Bufalini
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FORMAT 7: C00000 to C27899
CLASSIC CAR on top and
PENNSYLVANIA on bottom, now with C prefix. First seen circa 7/04. |
from Bruce Bufalini
from Tom Firth |
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FORMAT 8:
Classic Vehicle
C27900 to C40899, visitPA base, PENNSYLVANIA on top, PA CLASSIC VEHICLE on left side, CLASSIC
VEHICLE along bottom First seen circa 11/2013. |
from Ryan Battin
from Bruce Bufalini
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FORMAT 8A:
Personalized, up
to 5 characters. The first character is supposed to be a 'C'.
On visitPA base, PENNSYLVANIA on top, PA CLASSIC VEHICLE on left side,
CLASSIC VEHICLE, along bottom, still has sticker well. |
from Ryan Battin
from Jeff Lawson
from Noel Torchio
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FORMAT 9:
C40900, visitPA base, PENNSYLVANIA on top, PA CLASSIC VEHICLE
on left side - now compressed, CLASSIC VEHICLE, along bottom, now with small map outline. First
seen circa 7/2017. To
current high. |
from Bruce Bufalini
from Bruce Bufalini |
Image added
8/13 |
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FORMAT 9A:
Personalized, up to 5 characters.
The first character is supposed to be a 'C'. On visitPA base, PENNSYLVANIA on top, PA CLASSIC VEHICLE
on left side - now compressed, CLASSIC VEHICLE, along bottom, now with small map outline. |
from Sarge
from Bruce Bufalini
from Jaska
Börner
from Matt Ciecka |
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FAKES: These plates have a number from the
Classic Car series, on what appears to be a '77 base, but without
sticker wells, using a pre-1971 font, and were seen at a car show.
They are not believed to have
been issued by PennDOT. The plate is considered a fake. Further
research confirms this.
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Classic Motorcycle (1994) |
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FORMAT 1: |
C
L |
0000
to |
C
L |
0199 |
PENNA
legend uses narrow font. Plate measures 4½ x 8. |
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Yes
as configured in Format 3 below
($100) |
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FORMAT 2: |
C
L |
0200
to |
C
L |
0899? |
PENNA legend
uses wider font. Plate measures 4½ x 8. |
from Chad Gage
from Ryan Battin |
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On visitPA base, only the serial number is embossed,
legend reads CLASSIC MC. Can also be personalized, up
to 4 characters with stacked C/L prefix. First spotted 7/2015.
To
current high. |
from Bruce Bufalini
from Devan Ciemiewicz |
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FORMAT 3A: |
C
L |
0
Personalized |
CL prefix
stacked on left followed by up to 4 embossed characters. On visitPA base, PENNSYLVANIA on top,
CLASSIC MC on bottom.
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Collectible Vehicle
(1996 to present) |
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FORMAT 1: CV0000 to CV0099
Plates below 0100 were reserved
for those who were involved in getting the plate passed into law. Although
this plate appears to be authentic, the provenance of this plate is
uncertain.
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from Michael Wiener |
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Yes
as configured in Format 2A below |
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FORMAT 1A: CV0100
to CV1599
See notation under Format 1,
above |
Devan Ciemiewicz
from Tom Firth
from Ryan Battin |
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FORMAT 2: CV1600
New format
announced 4/2014, not seen on street until 11/2017.
To
current high. |
from Bill Stephens
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FORMAT 2A:
Personalized, up
to 4 characters with CV prefix.
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FAKE - VENAMUS may be a legitimate vanity letter combination, but it was
not issued as a Collectible Vehicle plate. |
from Arthur Levine |
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Street Rod
(1981 to present) |
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FORMAT 1: |
0001 |
S
R |
3999 |
S
R |
First issued 1981, type still
in use.
Pennsylvania and STREET ROD use
a bold font. The top red stripe is thinner than the bottom one.
Actually the red stripes on the earliest plate don't extend to the right
plate border. It is not known if this is part of the earliest format
or something peculiar to this plate. Some plates have validation
stickers. |
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Available as in Format 4 below |
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FORMAT
2: |
4000 |
S
R |
-
4999 |
S
R |
Pennsylvania and STREET ROD use
a bold font. Both red stripes are the same thickness but don't extend
to the border. Most plates use validation stickers. |
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FORMAT
3: |
5000 |
S
R |
-
6999 |
S
R |
Pennsylvania and STREET ROD
have been changed to a lighter weight font. The top red stripe is
again thinner than the bottom one and extends to the border. Almost
all plates have validation stickers. |
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New format
added 11/20/16. On visitPA base with redundant legend, and sticker
well. To
current high. |
from Bill Ceravola
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FORMAT 4A:
Personalized, up
to 4 characters with SR suffix. Has map outline.
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from John Anshant |
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Unknown Format.
Plate serial appears to be from the Street Rod series,
but PENNSYLVANIA appears to be embossed. |
from Bill Ceravola |
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