History of US and Canadian license plates

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Ontario 1950 License Plate

Although license plates have only existed for just over one hundred years in the United States and Canada, they have developed a unique history that has undergone several periods and changes.

1 Early license plates
2 Embossing
3 Historical license plates of individual states and territories
- 3.1 United States
- 3.2 Canada

[edit] Early license plates

The first license plates in the United States and Canada appeared in 1903 when the state of Massachusetts began requiring motor vehicles to display them. Soon after, other states followed suit, with virtually every state having adopted a form of license plates by 1918.

The first license plates were made out of iron and porcelain, painted on the front in usually two different colors--one for the background and one for the lettering. This scheme held true for most states until about 1920. The front of the plate would usually contain the registration number in large digits, and in smaller lettering on one side of the plate, the two- or four-digit year number, and an abbreviated state name. Each year, citizens were usually required to obtain a new license plate from the state government, which would have a different color scheme than the previous year, making it easier for police to identify whether or not citizens were current with their vehicle registration.

[edit] Embossing

Even before 1920, some states had adopted the technique of embossing the metal plates with raised lettering and numbering, without porcelain, and applying paint all over the plate, directly onto the metal. Minnesota introduced some license plates during this period with three different years embossed into the plate, so that the plates were valid for three consecutive years (e.g., 1918, 1919, and 1920).