Most Americans pay little attention to license plates which have been issued over the past three decades. Each of the 50 states issue a myriad of different license plates with artwork, most of which are ghastly to the eyes and easily forgettable. The advent of digital printing on reflective sheeting used to laminate today’s licenses has opened a Pandora’s Box of ugly designs. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the State of Florida issues over 120 different designs of license plates showcasing franchise sport teams, universities, non-profit groups and lifestyles. Not all the license plates currently issued by Florida are ugly. – the Endless Summer license plate is an excellent design together with some of the sport team license plates which are pleasing to the eyes. Law enforcement officers complain the sheer number of different license plates make their jobs harder. For example, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers license plate is retro-reflective black with the embossed or raised numbers painted in white. At night when a bright light illuminates this license plate, the black retro-reflective finish looks white-silver and the license plate number finished in white disappears. It is no wonder law enforcement officers are concerned with poorly designed license plates hindering their ability to do effectively enforce the law. When the state of California reintroduced the yellow on black base 1963 issue plate in 2016 as a legacy plate, there was a single difference. The original 1963 license plate was painted with black and chrome yellow was used to ink the embossed number. The state’s current legacy license plate has a black retro-reflective sheeting which laminates an aluminum substrate. Like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers license plate, this 1963 Legacy plate reintroduced in 2016-on has invisible numbers at night in bright lights! Many classic car collectors refuse to install this license plate on their cars. However, both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the new Legacy 1963 era license plates are attractive. It is the ghastly graphics design on license plates issued throughout the 50 states that turn off many Americans and contribute to difficulty in law enforcement.
(Photos Courtesy of flhsmv.gov and ocregiser.com)
In his 2014 Slate.com article, The Woeful Decline in American License Plate Design
(https://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2014/06/24/license_plate_design_when_did_u_s_license_plates_get_so_ugly.html ), writer William Morgan commented “License plates really started to decline in the 1970s, when reflectorized surfaces began to replace embossed and painted plates (a certain Minnesota mining and manufacturing company produced a surface called Scotchlite, a reflective coating that adhered to metal). Pearlescent plates allowed states to add all sorts of literal images, which they did with tasteless abandon”. While retro-reflective license plates enhanced the ability of law enforcement to read license plates in low light conditions, the introduction of garish, gaudy and unartistic designs printed on the retro-reflective material laminated on base aluminum license plates by the 50 states has contributed to Americans losing interest in license plates issued over the past 30 years. Not all designs printed on retro-reflective license plates are ugly. A few designs have been popular and include: the Florida Challenger license plate which was issued to commemorate the shuttle disaster, The Golden State license plate issued by California and made popular in the original Back To The Future Movie with the personalized number OUTATIME and The New York Statue of Liberty license plate –a classy design combined with our American respect for the symbol Liberty in Red, White and Blue colors.
(Photos Courtesy of flhsmv.gov, franklinavenue.blogspot.com, 15Q.net, thegeektwins.com)
Classic car collectors shun away from the gaudy designs of currently issued license plates and seek Year of Manufacture license plates which enhance their antique vehicles look as original as possible. Some states issue special license plates for antique cars with the word ANTIQUE printed or embossed. Florida has a white on light reflective blue plate combination. Pennsylvania prints the word ANTIQUE VEHICLE plus an image of an antique car in red on a current design license plate. These license plates are not popular with serious antique car collectors. Some states have passed laws which allow antique car collectors to install Year of Manufacturer metal license plates on their antique cars, but the state issued license plates should be kept in the car and shown to law enforcement should the vehicle be “pulled over”. When collectors enter their classic cars in shows top shows like the Concours d’Elegance or the Amelia Island Concours, points are subtracted if the license plates are not Year of Manufacture. Car show judges from smaller venues in the United States and around the world also deduct points if authentic-look Year of manufacture license plates are missing. The Year of manufacture license plates installed on show cars must be accurate reproductions:
- Manufactured in metal
- The layout and Fonts must be like the original issued license plates
- The color hues are good match
- The size must be same as originals
- The number and letters must be embossed and be raised
(Photos Courtesy of tvraaca.org and thesamba.com)
There are 50 states in the United States and four European countries which have produced cars for at least 80 years, so it is a challenge to find original license plates for most collector or antique cars. Early license plates were made of steel and few have survived the elements or were re-cycled during World War 2. Arizona is the only jurisdiction in the world which manufactured license plates made of natural copper from 1925 through 1941. It is nearly impossible to find any original copper license plates from Arizona because these were recycled due to the high price for copper. The dilemma for car collectors seeking a Year of Manufacture license plate is finding an authentic old plate which is in good condition or capable of being restored. An added issue is some car collectors request their Year of Manufacture license plates be embossed with a specific number. This is especially true if the car was a family heirloom with a specific license plate or for Italian made cars where the original license plates were removed from car and destroyed before the vehicle was exported. Italy issues license plates which stays with car for life of car and these license plates are only removed when car is junked or exported. Collectors of classic Fiat, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo and Lancia vehicles usually have registration documents and photographs which show the license plate numbers issued with these cars when initially purchased. These original Italian license plates no longer exist.
Licenseplates.tv, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida solved the Year of Manufacture license plate problem for collectors of both American and European cars by creating a catalog of most license plates which were issued before 1993. Their team of engineers located old license plates or photos of old license plates from all 50 states and USA Territories, Europe, Japan and Saudi Arabia and created accurate tool and dies to manufacture these older license plates. Many notable car collectors contributed to this research effort – like Mr. Peter Kalikow of Manhattan, New York, a world renowned connoisseur of Ferrari motorcars. This collaboration has resulted in the e-commerce store www.licenseplates.tv where car collectors can purchase Year of Manufacture license plates with correct color hues, fonts, sizes and layouts (bespoke license plates) for prices ranging from $65 to $200. Licenseplates.tv’s Year of Manufacture license plates are also purchased by classic car auction houses like Christie’s, RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams and Barrett-Jackson to install on prized antique automobiles which can sell for millions. Many sellers claim Year of Manufacturer license plates with numbers which match old registration paperwork often generate added interest from buyers and therefore higher auction prices. For most car collectors, installing a Year of Manufacture license plate which enhances their prized vehicle retro look.
There are some Year of Manufacture license plates which may not be featured on www.licenseplates.tv catalog of products,. This does not mean a particular license plate cannot be made. A photo of the license plate or the information like the year and country/state of issue is enough to start the research team at Licenseplates.tv into action by delving into the huge library and database built over the past 30 years. More often than not, Licenseplates.tv has the resources to manufacture almost any license plate ever manufactured in the United States and around the world. The market for old replica license plates steered the team at licenseplates.tv into the acquisition of the historical data and technical prowess to accurately replicate virtually any license plate ever issued by a state or country. On www.licenseplates.tv, customers can search and find their particular license plate, enter custom number, add to cart and checkout. License plates are shipped worldwide and are installed on prized automobiles or used for advertising, motion picture props or as decorations in offices, garages, restaurants, stores or museums.
(Photo Courtesy of wayfair.com)
