question on US licence plates.

[Kaleb]

In Arkansas you keep the plate, and get a new "year" sticker. Every great once in awhile we get a new design but in getting a new one we have several options

Susan G Komen

Teacher

Fire fighter

Police

Your favorite state college

Game and fish

You can customize your own

I think there are some other options, these are available for an extra $25 a year which goes to that foundation.

[38 Crush]

Just to muddy the waters more. In Oregon we register for two years and up to four years for a new car, and the month and years stickers are put on the bottom of the plate. So the sticker is not always for the current year. Just sometimes, every once and while, maybe. sort of !!!

[1972coronet]

**Addendum To My Preceding Post**

I found a fairly-comprehensive breakdown of the history of 1969-Present Calif plates :

http://www.15q.net/ca.html

News to yours turly was the overlap of Black / Gold (1963-1969) plates to the Blue / Gold (Late-1969 - Autumn 1986) . Being an observant and a life-long (44 years) resident of Ca. , I have recognised some 1969 Passenger Cars with the Blue / Gold plates , and , inversely , 1970 Passenger Cars with the Black / Gold plates :

1.) 1969 Dart GTS 383 with "A"-series blue / gold

2.) 1970 Challenger (my cousin's car which she bought new) with black / gold "Z"-series plates

3.) Late-build "1969" Camaro (e.g. , built-into the 1970 model year) with "A"-series blue/ gold plates

4.) 1970 Dart Swinger 340 with "Z"-series black / gold plates

Commercial plates (light-duty trucks and pickups) were black / gold through the 1971 calendar year . My personal 1970 Ranchero GT had black / gold plates ( "64 870 F") ; and a neighbours' 1971 El Camino had similar black / gold Commercial plates .

Why is this such a "geeky" issue with me ? Because I'm a stickler for vintage plates on vintage vehicles ! Calif's 1993-present plates are boring , gross , and just out-of-place on vintage vehicles ! I despise them ! Further , having the "correct" year-to-vehicle plates is a big issue with yours truly . I have seen where guys think that the plates' digits are just arbitrary , and that troubles me .

Whatever , right ?

BTW : My all-time favourite plates ? Michigan '76 ! Most gorgeous plates I've seen ever !

I hope that all of my shared info is of some help to you .

[lordairgtar]

So, as you see Roy, we in the states get rather creative with our tags. Some like Arizona's are quite colorful. In Wisconsin, the Native American Nations also have their own plates as they are considered sovereign entities within the State. http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/plateguide/tribal.htm You will notice that only the Menominee Tribe make reference to Wisconsin on their tags. I drive frequently through the Nations and see these plates all the time. We are home to Menominee, Ojibwe, Oneida and Lac Courte Oreilles. That last one is pronounced Lah Koodaray

[roym]

Wow.

Thanks to everyone who has replied in this, I never knew it was that complex. I did think about putting them all on modern style plates, as in 1/25 the corner sticker is small enough to be barely legible. But, if in theory, a 67 mustang from CA could still be wearing a yellow on black plate, and a 77 Trans Am from GA red on white (even though BAN ONE has a 76 sticker in the corner; can't figure that one out) I'll go with that, at least for those two....

Greg, I hope it's not rude to ask, but would it be appropriate for me to copy and print some of those plate pics you posted? Some are quite attractive!

For the record, I spent a few months living and working in West Virginia, back in 2005, and have had a couple of fabulous family vacations (holidays to us!) in Orlando, got to see a nice bit of Florida in 2011 & 2012. Noted that FL and WV only require rear plates. One more question, when both plates are required, does the year/month need to be displayed front or rear, or does it not matter?

Tip for printing plates; copy image to computer, open for editing, crop to border of plate, paste to a word doc, resize to 11mm; will print to perfect size for 1/25. I've done this for magazines too! Scan and resize image to 8mm wide for 1/25, 16mm wide for 1/12.

Cheers and thanks all!

Roy

[Danno]

Yes, It is very complicated. The simple rule to remember is there is no simple rule.

A couple of answers, however, to your additional questions:

A '77 model year car could easily display '76 plates in certain circumstances. In that era, most states issued license plates for a calendar year. Thus, '76 plates would be issued during 1976 with expiration date of Dec 31, 1976. During that era, most American cars were introduced in September before the model year designation. So, 1977 Firebirds went on sale in September 1976, for example. A newly purchased 1977 car would have been issued a license plate with an expiration date of Dec 31, 1976, thus it would have displayed a '76 sticker.

Sidebar: Most states no longer use the calendar year, but issue plates with an expiration date a year after registration. This was done to spread all the state's renewals over all 12 months rather than having all renewals hit on Dec 31.

And, whether one plate state or two plate state, the validation tabs or stickers are placed on the rear plates, not the front plate.

[Kit Basher]

And, whether one plate state or two plate state, the validation tabs or stickers are placed on the rear plates, not the front plate.

I have to add more mud. In Virginia, the expiration stickers go on the front and rear. Roy, if you want to look at all the Virginia plates, you can see them here: http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/vehicles/#plate_search.asp. You can also copy plates from that site.

Edited January 25, 2014 by Kit Basher

[Fabrux]

NB also requires stickers front and rear.

[mk11]

Here in Alberta, we used to have two plates. Now it's just the rear with month and year stickers and it's been the same 'wild rose country' design since the early eighties. Finally went to 7 digits last year. My own truck plate is twenty-eight years old and has been attached to close to a dozen different bumpers

mike

Edited January 28, 2014 by mk11

[Tom Geiger]

[Chas SCR]

Ok he was asking about Michigan and I seen some one post about it and they are not right on how michigans laws are on tags.

Historical tags is what it's called and we can run any tag (plate) here in Michigan to the date of the car if it's 25yrs or older. I have a 64 with Texas plates with Michigan 64 sticker on it. Some plates here in Michigan was not renewal or change of color or any thing like that as they used a clip with the year on the left and a clip for the right side also. They renewal laws been on your birthday day at midnight is when they run out. For the Historical plate they never have to be paid once

you sign it in and it does not go off the numbers of the plate like some one posted. Also you can either run the front one or you can also have a fully different one on the front then the rear but not have it signed in. This was a big fad

back in the 80s with the street machine guys running two different plates on there car.

Edited January 29, 2014 by Chas SCR

[Brett Barrow]

I have to add more mud. In Virginia, the expiration stickers go on the front and rear. Roy, if you want to look at all the Virginia plates, you can see them here: http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/vehicles/#plate_search.asp. You can also copy plates from that site.

Yup, I'm originally from Virginia and you have to put stickers on front and rear tags, both month and year.

New Jersey, where I live now, has done away with the stickers entirely, unless you're under 21, then you have to display a small solid red reflective sticker in the upper left (as you face it) of the plate of any car you're driving, not just one registered in your name. Drivers under 21 are subject to a curfew and passenger limits.

[charlie8575]

Massachusetts had plates in 1963, '64 and '66. The 1963 plate was infamous for having its paint peel, hence the 1964 plate. Prior to that, and starting right before WWII, we started issuing plates every other year.

In 1967, a new plate was introduced, white with medium-dark blue lettering, with no year, and you got a sticker every two years, which goes on the upper right corner of the plate on the back of the car, if you have a two-plate plate.

The expiration of the sticker is based off the last number of the plate.

For example, my plate, 334-KAJ has an expiration of April every other year. I put a new sticker on last year, so I'll do it again in 2015.

Some of the older plates had an odd combination of numbers and letters, but never more than six per state law, so, some of the early whit/blue and the 1970s red-on-white plate (not to be confused with what we have now), would have combinations like 123 45A, or 1A2345. On either of those plates, the expiry would still be May 31.

All antique plates renew annually in November. Commercial plates renew annually in December.

The newer "Spirit of America" plates have the expiry month stamped (ones made in the last five or so years are now printed) in the upper left, opposite the registration sticker placement.

Like most states, we also have a variety of special plates.

Unlike most states, you can keep your plates and transfer them from car to car.

A brief history. http://www.massrmv.com/rmv/history/

Samples of the current special passenger car plates: https://secure.rmv.state.ma.us/SpecialPlates/pltShow.aspx Click the arrows to show our specials.

Charlie Larkin

[JabMan]

In Minnesota you have a sticker in both lower corners ( unless the plate is new then it is only in the lower right hand corner). one is for the registration month the other is for the year, which is changed every year. Plus you get a new plate every 7 years.

[Bob Ellis]

The original question;

(if I want to display the 64 model in a dio with a 78 Trans AM, an 86 pickup and a 2010 Charger, as if they were all parked together, do I need to change the older plates to something more modern style, or just the year in the corner, or nothing at all?)

In Massachusetts, the answer could be YOM plates (Year of Manufacture). This means if you find an old original plate used during the year that car was produced, you may be able to attach that plate legally to that car.

The plate must be a number not currently used by another YOM applicant and the state must inspect it for suitability.

If you are successful, for example, you could put a 1961 Massachusetts plate on a 1961 or 1962 Chevy as an antique plate in this year of 2014.