Number Game! A Brief History of the Licence Plate

We can't think of cars without licence plates but was this always the case? How did number plates come to be? Where did it all start? Here are 10 facts about licence plates that will blow your mind even if you are not an auto nerd.

Number plates: more interesting than you can imagine

World's first licence plate:

France was the country that introduced the world to the concept of licence plates. The first-ever number plate was issued in 1893 through the Paris Ordinance. When automobiles were invented, they were a handful in number. It was only after they became popular it seemed necessary that vehicles be identified to keep a track of who owned a car in case of a mishap.

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New York's DIY number plates:

From 1901 to 1909, New Yorkers made licence plates on their own. The state had no mass production system when number plates were first introduced. This meant auto owners made plates using leather or metal until the process was standardized.

Massachusetts' history with the plates:

Massachusetts was the first to issue licence plates in the US back in 1903. This was a time when metal plates were not in circulation, and only porcelain was used to create what we today know as licence plates.

Virginia gave America its first stamped metal plate:

In 1921, people realised that it would be better to have a licence plate made of metal due to its durability. Subsequently, the first-ever metal plate was issued in Virginia in 1921.

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Alaska's limited edition from 1921:

Alaska was a severely underdeveloped territory in the 1920s and only a few vehicles ventured there. Handful plates were made then, which have now gone on to become collector's items.

The slogans came from Idaho:

Of “Idaho Potatoes” and soybean-based plastic - In the US, licence plates often bear slogans and it changes from state to state. The practice started in 1928 when the northwestern state of Idaho decided to stamp “Idaho Potatoes” on all the number plates in the states. Other states followed suit and it became a custom of sorts.

Plates with a personal touch from Pennsylvania:

In 1931, Pennsylvania allowed people to customize their licence plates. At first, people could only print their initials and it wasn't until 1965 that you could get the whole plate tailor-made.

The metal shortage during WW2:

In 1944, during World War 2, most of the metal was used in war supplies – to make weapons and vehicles. This led to a shortage of metal for making licence plates. Alternative materials such as soybean-based plastic, cardboard, and embossed fiberboard were used until the metal was available again.

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A world meeting over licence plates:

It all seems too unbelievable today. Yes, but such an event did take place. Once upon a time, number plates came in all sizes. That changed in 1957 at a meeting between some governments in the West, where it was decided that licence plates should be of uniform size. If you haven't noticed all cars across the US and Europe have a standard size for their number plates, a practice which was later adopted across the globe.

Plates with police codes and more:

Before the 1990s, car number plates in the United States carried police codes, county designations, and Congressional districts. This made it easier for law officials to identify licence plates at a time when computer records did not exist. It helped them zero in on the county or district to figure out who they were pulling over or who to give the ticket to.