April 25- On this date in 1901, New York became the first U.S. state to require license plates on automobiles.
This should say, "technically" it was the first state to require a license plate. The "plates" were not what we typically think of when we think of a license plate. Some major differences:
- They were not produced by the state, but personally by the owners
- They were not made of metal, but of leather
- They did not have numbers, but instead, displayed the owner's initials
New York didn't actually produce a state-issued license plate until 1910. Their first plate was on blue steel, with cream-colored, riveted numbers. The first state-issued, metal license plates were produced in 1903 by Massachusetts for drivers there.
According to the best license plate collecting site there is: www.pl8s.com, the very first plate, featuring the number "1," was issued to Frederick Tudor. (One of his relatives still holds an active registration on the plate.)
Collecting License Plates
License plates are perfect for collecting. They are plentiful, they are interesting. They have state names and they are usually dated which gives people a "hook" and lets them connect with dates or places from their past.
Pl8s.com has some great suggestions on collecting sets of license plates. They include:
- Birthyear set
- Type set (school bus plates, police, taxi plates, etc.)
- Motorcycle plates
- Foreign plates
- State sets (every plate from a particular state or country)
In any case, what started in 1901 has become a part of our daily lives in the United States. It used to be really difficult to find great plates. It also used to be cheaper to collect them. Collectors used to haunt junk yards and get plates cheaply or even free. Now you have to pay. eBay is partly responsible for changing all of that. Take a look at one of the most interesting hobbies around...
 NR USA old car tag $7.50 (5 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 55m |
 SET OF USA LICENSE PLATES FROM ALL 50 STATES + BONUS PLATE $197.00 Time Remaining: 10d 3h 56m Buy It Now for only: $197.00 Add to watch list |
 VINTAGE NEW YORK LICENSE PLATE TOPPER 1943 $7.77 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 7h 27m |
 LOT OF 4 US LICENSE PLATES LOT 5 OKLAHOMA MISSOURI MONTANA WASHINGTON $9.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 8h 57m |
 ALL 50 United States LICENSE PLATES Lot Colorful USA Tags $208.97 Time Remaining: 6d 1h 8m Buy It Now for only: $208.97 Add to watch list |
 LOT OF 4 US LICENSE PLATES LOT11 NEBRASKA UTAH CNTL WASHINGTON TEXAS $9.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 8h 57m |
 Georgia 1948 sample license plate $99.00 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 9h 7m |
 1924 ILLINOIS LICENSE PLATE OLD CAR TAG VINTAGE ANTIQUE AUTO $10.00 (5 Bids) Time Remaining: 10h |
 Ten 10 Assorted License Plates Number Tag Plate Lot $29.99 Time Remaining: 29d 10h 36m Buy It Now for only: $29.99 Add to watch list |
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