Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1917
Each of the 50 states of the United States of America plus several of its territories and the District of Columbia issued individual passenger license plates for 1917.[1][2][3][4]
Passenger baseplates
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.
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 | ||||||
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 | ||||||
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
References
- 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.
- 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.
- Crisler, Bob; Crisler, Chuck, eds. (2007). License Plate Values (7th ed.). King Publishing Company.
- Martells, Jack (1980). Antique Automotive Collectibles. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc. pp. 128–145. ISBN 0-8092-7205-9.