 |
Rick Kretschmer's License Plate Archives |
 |
|
Rick Kretschmer's License Plate Archives |
|
My "Pictorial History" pages are intended to be a supplement to the information found in the ALPCA Archives. I am providing additional details and additional photos not found in the archives, and clarifying information when appropriate. When the ALPCA archives cover a subject in great detail, I do not repeat that detail here. I sincerely hope that you find this information useful. If you find an error or have additional information, or can provide a plate or a photo of a plate that I'm missing, please send me an e-mail. There's a link to my e-mail address at the bottom of every page.
Mouse over any image to see a description of the plate. Click on any image to see an enlarged version.
- Jan. 20, 2008 - Added a 1931 plate.
- Mar. 20, 2008 - Added a 1920 plate.
On this page - Maryland passenger car plates dated 1910-1953
Introduction
Maryland pre-state license plates 1904-1910
Maryland passenger car plates dated 1910-1916
Maryland passenger car plates dated 1917-1921
Maryland passenger car plates dated 1922-1936
Maryland passenger car plates dated 1937-1941
Maryland passenger car plates dated 1942-1947
Maryland passenger car plates dated 1948-1953
Related links
Maryland sample plates through 1953 - Now moved to the Maryland License Plate General Information page
Maryland organizational plates through 1953 - Now moved to the Hisory of Maryland Organizational Member Plates page
Maryland non-passenger plates dated 1910-1953 - Now moved to several History of Maryland License Plates pages, depending on the plate type.
Go to the Maryland index to find the appropriate page.
From 1910 until 1937, Maryland license plates displayed the year of issuance and expired on December 31 of the year indicated. Plates issued in 1938 were valid for 15 months, and indicated the expiration date of March 31, 1939 on the plate. Thus, there was no dated 1938 plate, and all plates from 1939 to present display the year of expiration. From 1939 until 1986, all passenger cars expired annually on March 31. In some years, the expiration month or month and date were indicated, at other times only the expiration year was shown. All Maryland plates, excluding motorcycle plates, from 1937 through 1956 expirations were 13 inches wide by 6 inches high. All Maryland passenger car plates from 1910 to 1943 were issued in pairs. 1944 to 1947 plates were issued as singles; 1948 to 1951 plates were issued in pairs; 1952 to 1955 plates were issued singly; all passenger car plates since 1956 have been issued in pairs. All Maryland passenger plate serial numbers from 1910 to 1953 were all-numeric.
(Plate number 3908: photo provided by and plate owned by an individual who does not wish to be credited. Photo used with permission. All other pre-state plates are from the collection of John Willard.) The solid plate number 5918 went on the rear, while its fraternal twin, the mesh 5918 plate, was obviously intended to be mounted on the front. The holes allowed air to pass through to the radiator.
Like many other states at the time, the state of Maryland began requiring vehicles to be registered with the state several years before it actually issued license plates. In Maryland's case, vehicle registration began in 1904, but state-issued plates were not produced until July 1910. During the intervening years, motorists were required to display their state-issued registration number on their vehicles. This was usually done using license plates that were either homemede or made from a kit. As you can see, a wide variety of materials and styles were used. One of the more popular methods was to attach metal house numbers to a piece of dark-colored leather. Motorist-provided and/or locally-issued plates that preceded state-issued plates are collectively called "pre-states".
Many Maryland pre-state plates have a consistent format of the registration number followed by the stacked state abbreviation "M/D". These are obviously Maryland pre-state plates. But many pre-state plates that are known to be from Maryland did not have any state identifier, just the registration number. Others identified the state in fairly obscure ways, such as simply with the letter "M" before the plate number. During the pre-state years, once a motorist registered his vehicle with the state and was assigned a registration number, he kept that number indefinitely. There was therefore no reason to put the year on the plate. Registration numbers began at number 1 and got up to approximately 9500 during this six year period. Based on the numbers of vehicles registered each year, one can determine the year that a given registration number was first assigned.
The state of Maryland first issued license plates in July 1910, and during the first several years, the plates changed frequently and substantially. The 1910 passenger car plates were reportedly made of tin and were hand-embossed and hand-painted. Serial numbers could be from 1 to 4 digits, and to the right of the serial were the letters M and D displayed vertically, and below that, the year 1910 displayed horizontally. Jim Fox describes these plates further in his 1997 book, License Plates of the United States:
The 1910 plate is made of a particularly thin metal, and was lightly embossed by hammering the plate over wooden dies. This manufacturing process produced one of the most primitive of all state issues and has made finding a fine example of a 1910 Maryland plate a real challenge!Apparently Maryland realized that the passenger plates they issued in 1910 were of inferior quality, because in 1911 they switched to much more durable iron coated with porcelain plates. Passenger plates were made of these materials through 1914. During these years, the serial numbers for passenger plates began at either 1000 or 1001, and could be 4 or 5 digits. To the right of the serial were the letters MD displayed horizontally, above the year which was also horizontal. In 1911 and 1912, the year was four digits; in 1913 and 1914, only the last two digits of the year were indicated.
For 1915, Maryland again switched materials and maufacturing processes, this time to embossed heavy steel. The basic layout remained the same, with the letters MD over the year 15 to the right of the serial number. However, the plate size was increased to 15" horizontally and 6" vertically; these dimensions remained constant through 1936. 1916 plates were similar to the 1915s, except that the state abbreviation and two digit year were moved to the left of the serial. This was undoubtedly done because the colors of the 1916 plate were very close to those of the 1913 plate; the different location of the state abbreviation and year made the plates visually different. In 1915 and possibly 1916, passenger serial numbers began at 4000 or 4001.
| 1910 | - black on yellow | - hand-embossed thin tin | - M / D / 1910 right |
| 1911 | - white on black | - porcelain | - MD / 1911 right |
| 1912 | - blue on white | - porcelain | - MD / 1912 right |
| 1913 | - yellow on black | - porcelain | - MD / 13 right |
| 1914 | - white on green | - porcelain | - MD / 14 right |
| 1915 | - white on blue | - embossed heavy steel | - MD / 15 right |
| 1916 | - yellow on black | - embossed heavy steel | - MD / 16 left |
In 1917, Maryland plates changed significantly once again, but this time the style remained stable for 5 years. The state abbreviation and year were moved to the bottom edge of the plate in odd years, and to the top edge in even years. Three small dashes were also embossed among the state and year in the following pattern: -MD-19yy- . A dash was also introduced into the serial number, between the hundreds and thousands digits. Serial numbers began at 20-000 or 20-001 from 1917 through 1920, and so from this point on, all plates were at least 5 digits, and beginning in 1918 some were 6 digits. In 1921 the lowest passenger serial was raised to 30-000 or 30-001, and this remained the lowest passenger serial number through 1953. Some leftover 1918 plates had their years restamped to 1920 and were then issued in 1920; similarly, some 1919 leftovers were restamped and used in 1921. Plates originally stamped in 1921 used new dies with a serif font.
| 1917 | - green on white |
| 1918 | - white on gray |
| 1919 | - black on white |
| 1920 | - white on red |
| 1921 | - red on white |
Starting with the 1922 plates, the full state name and four digit year (without dashes) were embossed onto the edge of the plate, continuing the pattern of the top edge in even years, and the bottom edge during odd years. In mid-year 1923, the dies were changed again, to a thick-stroke sans-serif font. Lower bolt slots were added to the plates in approximately 1931.
The 1934 and some 1936 plates were distinctive from the other years in this run. The 1934 plate commemorated the 300th year since Maryland was first settled; the top of the plate read "1634 Maryland 1934" with very short characters, while the bottom edge of the plate contained the word "Tercentenary" using the same short character font. However, it has been reported that not all 1934 plates contained the word "Tercentenary".
Most 1936 plates read "Maryland 1936" which is consistent with other years. However, a limited number of 1936 plates were issued with the rear plate using a locking strip that was supposed to deter plate theft. These had two holes cut out of the plate on the either side of "Maryland"; the locking strip was visible through the holes, and it was stamped with "19" visible through the left hole and "36" visible through the right hole. The corresponding front plates did not have holes or any locking strip, but nevertheless were stamped "19 Maryland 36" in order to match the rear plates. Thus, there were actually three styles of 1936 plates.
| 1922 | - white on black | | | 1927 | - black on white | | | 1932 | - red on white |
| 1923 | - black on yellow | | | 1928 | - white on medium blue | | | 1933 | - white on dark blue |
| 1924 | - orange on black | | | 1929 | - bright blue on white | | | 1934 | - yellow on black |
| 1925 | - white on dark green | | | 1930 | - white on green | | | 1935 | - dark blue on white |
| 1926 | - white on black | | | 1931 | - white on red | | | 1936 | - white on black |
1937 to 1941 was a period of transition for Maryland license plates. For 1937, Maryland introduced smaller plates which were 13" long by 6" high; this size would then remain constant through 1956. The smaller size plates also necessitated the use of different dies in order for the serial number to still fit. During 1938-1939, Maryland converted from calendar year registrations to registrations that expired annually on March 31. Thus, the plate issued at the beginning of 1938 was valid for 15 months. However, it did not contain the year 1938, but rather indicated the expiration date thus: "Ex-3-31-39". All Maryland license plates from this point forward display the expiration date or at least the expiration year, and the annual March 31 expirations continued until 1986 when staggered registrations were implemented. For the 1941 expiration plates, dies were changed again to more rounded chararacters with thinner strokes.
| 1937 | - black on white |
| 1938 | - No dated 1938 plate |
| 1939 | - white on green |
| 1940 | - green on white |
| 1941 | - white on dark blue |
 |
| "3" restamped to "5" on 1945 plate |
The 1942 plate had the expiration date moved to the upper corners, flanking the state name, with the month and date in the left corner and the four digit year in the right corner. The legend "Drive Carefully" was embossed along the bottom edge of the plate, and the colors were black characters on a silver background. In spite of the silver color, the plates were painted steel, not unpainted aluminum. Like all previous Maryland plates, the 1942 plates were issued in pairs. The 1942 plate became the first Maryland multi-year base plate, as metal tabs dated 1943 and 1944 were issued to extend the expiration year stamped on the base plate. The 1943 tabs were also issued in pairs, but only a single 1944 tab was issued. A new base plate was issued for 1945 expirations; it was identical in design to the 1942 base and differed only in that the colors were reversed to silver on black; however, only a single plate was issued on the 1945 base. Renewal tabs were again issued (obviously singly) to extend the life of the base plate to 1946 and 1947.An interesting detail about the 1945 base is that some of them were stamped a second time to change a digit of the serial number. There does not appear to be a consistent pattern for this restamping. The 1945 base pictured above had its first digit changed from a "3" to a "5", as you can see from the close-up photo at right. I've seen photos of other 1945 plates that had been restamped, one where the first digit was changed from a "4" to a "1", and another where the second digit was changed from a "2" to a "5" (the first digit was already a "5" in this case). Also, on my example at least, it looks like the last digit of the year was also restamped to change the expiration year from 1943 to 1945. (This is impossible to see in a photo and difficult to see in person, because of the size of the digit.) I've seen a photo of a 1943 sample plate, but no real 1943 expiration plates were issued. It would seem that the state had intended to produce 1943 expiration plates and had already manufactured some, when, due to the metal shortage caused by World War II, they decided to hold on to the 1943 plates they already had and issue the 1943 renewal tabs instead. Probably the 1943 plates were made in pairs, but the 1945 plates were issued singly, so apparently one of each pair was restamped to a create a different serial number.
| 1942 | - black on silver plate, no tab | - base plates issued in pairs |
| 1943 | - black on yellow tab | - tabs issued in pairs |
| 1944 | - silver on black tab | - single tab issued |
| 1945 | - silver on black plate, no tab | - single base plate issued |
| 1946 | - black on silver tab | - single tab issued |
| 1947 | - black on yellow tab | - single tab issued |
Note: On the plate with the 1949 tab shown above, the motorist didn't follow the normal procedure and bend the flaps of the tab and insert them into the tab slots on the plate; rather, he drilled holes into the tab flaps and the plate itself, and bolted the tab flaps to the front of the plate.
The 1948 base plate design was a simplified version of the 1942 and 1945 bases. The "Drive Carefully" slogan was removed (perhaps the state thought everyone was now driving carefully enough), and the month, day, and century of the expiration date also vanished. The two-digit expiration year "48" was moved to the bottom center and was flanked by tab slots. Most 1948 plates were made of unpainted aluminum, although some steel plates are also known to exist. Renewal tabs were issued annully to extend the life of the plate to 1949, 1950, and 1951. The base plate and all of the tabs were issued in pairs.
For 1952 expirations, a new base plate was issued. This plate was made of steel, but was otherwise similar in design to the 1948 base. The major difference was that the expiration month was reintroduced, this time spelled out in full. The tab slots remained on either side of the two digit year. Thus, the bottom of the plate read "March |52|", with the vertical lines indicating the location of the tab slots. The inclusion of the month was no doubt motivated by the fact that most non-passenger vehicle expirations were shifted from March 31 to April 30 effective 1952. Non-passenger plates also had the expiration month embossed onto them, although of course they read "April |52|". The base plates and the 1953 renewal tabs were both issued in pairs. After these plates expired in 1953, a new plate expiring in 1954 was issued.
| 1948 | - black on silver plate, no tab |
| 1949 | - silver on black tab |
| 1950 | - white on red tab |
| 1951 | - white on black tab |
| 1952 | - white on black plate, no tab |
| 1953 | - black on white tab |
Continue to Maryland passenger car plates dated 1954 to present
Top
Related pages on this site
A Pictorial History of Pennsylvania Passenger Car Plates, 1906-1957Old Maryland license plates elsewhere on the web
Maryland Porcelain Archives - Andrew Pang and Tom Smith team up to document all known surviving 1910-1914 Maryland license plates.
The License Plate Gallery - Maryland Passenger Plates page by Tim O'Connor
The Plate Shack - Maryland section by Marc Welby
This page is W3C valid |