Wikipedia

Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1917

Vehicle registration plates of the United States by year
Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1916 Events of 1917 Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1918

In 1917 South Carolina, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 47 states and 5 territories that were issuing license plates and 1 other state requiring owners to provide their own license plates.[1][2][3][4]

Passenger baseplates

edit

In the table below, a light green background indicates that the owner of the vehicle was required to provide their own license plates. These plates are called "prestate" by most collectors. In the prestate era many states only provided the license plate number on a small disc or on paper, and the owner was required to have their license plate(s) made. These early license plates were created from kits that could be purchased at a hardware store, may have been available from automobile clubs or associations, they were forged by blacksmiths or other tradesmen, or the owner may have made their own plate with whatever materials they had on hand. Prestate plates were made from a variety of materials, but most often were made of leather, steel, or wood. This was the last year for prestate plates, but note that territories, like Alaska and Hawaii, etc., did not officially issue plates until several years later.

Legend: Regular state issue plate(s) Prestate era plate(s) No plates issued by state or territory
Image State Design Slogan Serial format Serials issued Notes
  Alabama
  Alaska No prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1921.
  American Samoa No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1924.
  Arizona
  Arkansas
  California
  Canal Zone
  Colorado
  Connecticut
  Delaware
  District of
Columbia
  Florida Last year for prestate plates. State issued plates begin in 1918.
  Georgia
  Guam
  Hawai'i No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1922.
  Idaho
  Illinois
  Indiana
  Iowa Embossed beige serial on dark olive green plate; "IA" and dash at right none 123456 1 to approximately 341000 Used until 1918 due to metal conservation for World War I.
  Kansas
  Kentucky
  Louisiana
  Maine
  Maryland
  Massachusetts
  Michigan
  Minnesota
  Mississippi
  Missouri
  Montana
  Nebraska
  Nevada
  New Hampshire
  New Jersey
  New Mexico
  New York
  North Carolina
  North Dakota
  Northern Mariana
Islands 		No prestate plates. Territory issued plates begin in 1944.
  Ohio Black serial on yellow porcelain plate, vertical "OHIO" and "1917" on left and right, respectively.
  Oklahoma
  Oregon
  Pennsylvania
  Puerto Rico
  Rhode Island
  South Carolina First year for state issued plates.
  South Dakota
  Tennessee
  Texas First year for state issued plates. Validated with separate round seal.
  U.S. Virgin Islands First year for territory issued license plates.
  Utah
  Vermont
  Virginia
  Washington
  West Virginia
  Wisconsin Embossed white serial on dark green plate; vertical "WIS." and "'17." at right. none 123456 1 to approximately 165000
  Wyoming

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Fox, Jams K. (1997). License Plates of the United States: A Pictorial History 1903-To the Present. Jerico, New York: Interstate Directory Publishing Company. ISBN 9781886777002.
  2. ^ Minard, Jeff; Stentiford, Tim (2004). A Moving History, 50 Years Of ALPCA. 100 Years Of License Plates. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company. p. 58. ISBN 1-56311-975-7.
  3. ^ Crisler, Bob; Crisler, Chuck, eds. (2007). License Plate Values (7th ed.). King Publishing Company.
  4. ^ Martells, Jack (1980). Antique Automotive Collectibles. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc. pp. 128–145. ISBN 0-8092-7205-9.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vehicle_registration_plates_of_the_United_States_for_1917&oldid=1134803950"