Rick's 1959 U.S. Passenger Car Plates
(My Birth Year Set)

There's a reason why Delaware is called "The First State", although that slogan didn't make it onto Delaware license plates until 1963. This undated blue base was issued 1958-1962; metal tabs were attached indicating the expiration date, which was always the last day of a calendar quarter. The first example was issued during the first quarter of 1959, with tabs indicating a December 31, 1959 expiration date; the second example was issued during the second quarter of 1959, showing a March 31, 1960 expiration.

Pennsylvania

2nd state - ratified the Constitution 1787

The dated '58 base was issued 1958-1964. Pennsylvania left its options open by issuing these plates with a tab slot, but they ultimately went with stickers instead. These two plates may look identical, but they have different stickers. Plate B14-852 was issued in 1958 and renewed for 1959; its sticker has a "real" serial number, which indicates a renewal. Plate S95-820 was issued in 1959; its sticker has serial number PA0000, which indicates a new registration. This unusual sticker numbering system was followed from 1959 through 1974.

From April 1956 to May 1959, New Jersey issued these undated orange on black plates with serial format x/x0000. The first letter in the serial indicated the county; serial prefixes beginning with "C" were issued in Camden County. These and other black plates dating back from 1952 were phased out between June 1959 and sometime in 1960 or 1961. The undated straw-colored plates were issued with serial format xxx-000 from June 1959 to 1973; these plates were issued sequentially, rather than coded by county. This example was probably issued in the late summer or early fall of 1959. For both of these bases, windshield stickers were used to show that the registration was current.

Georgia, as well as its neighbors Florida and Tennessee, used both county codes and weight class codes on the same plate. The "1" stands for Fulton County; the "A" indicates a car weighing over 4,000 pounds.

This undated base was issued 1957-1969 with several different serial formats. Metal year tabs were used even in 1957, the first year this style of plate was on the street. I haven't been able to determine definitively when this specific plate was issued, but most likely it was a new registration sometime between late 1957 and early 1959. Metal '59 year tab.

Dated '59 plates were issued in both 1959 and 1960; this example circa 1959. 1960 registrations were indicated with a windshield sticker.

Maryland passenger plates all expired on March 31 of each year. Dated '59 passenger plates were issued March 1958-February 1959 and expired March 31, 1959; dated '60 passenger plates were issued March 1959-February 1960 and expired March 31, 1960.

See my collection of various types of 1959 Maryland license plates.

The letter prefix on South Carolina plates of this era was a vehicle weight class; "F" was used for passenger cars weighing 4,000 to 4,500 pounds.

Plates with serial numbers beginning with "M" were issued in Merrimack County.

Virginia passenger car plates of this era could be all numeric or could have an "A" prefix.

This dated '58 base was validated for 1959 with a metal tab that was attached to the rear plate only. Unlike many New York alpha prefixes and suffixes, "GM" apparently was not assigned to any particular county.

Safety slogans like this "Drive Safely" imperative were fairly common in decades past.

Dated '59 bases were issued in 1959 and 1960; 1960 registrations were indicated with a metal "60" tab placed over the "59" on the base.

Many states had ways to identify the county on their plates, but in 1959 only Kentucky and Mississippi put the actual county names on their plates.

Tennessee was among a few southern states that used both county codes and weight codes on their plates. The "1" indicated Davidson County; as near as I can tell, "E" was one of several letters used for a passenger car weighing 3,600 pounds or less.

Various serial formats were used in different areas of the state; the x-000-x format indicates this plate was issued to someone living roughly in the southeastern part of the state.

If you can't tell, that thing in the middle of the plate is an embossed image of a pelican.

During this time, each combination of alpha characters in the serial was assigned to a specific county. "GF" was reserved for residents of Jasper County. "Lincoln Year" commemorates 1959 as the 150th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, who lived in Indiana from age 7 to age 21.

All Mississippi license plates expired each October during this period. County names were shown at the bottom of passenger car plates. The 1959 expiration plate is an obviously poor quality example that needs to be upgraded.

Well as we now know, as much as Illinois likes to call itself the "Land of Lincoln", this is a somewhat dubious claim, as he did not actually live there until he was 21 years old. Even in the 1950s, brown was a rather unusual color for a license plate. Seven-digit registration numbers were also uncommon.

The "1" prefix was a county code used for residents of Jefferson County, the most populous in the state.

This base plate was used between 1956 and 1961. Earlier versions had an embossed "56" that was then covered by a year tab in subsequent years; later versions issued after 1956, including this example, were undated and required a year tab to be valid. The year tabs were unusual in that they were entirely one color, making the embossed year difficult to read.

Missouri first issued this base plate in 1955 with 1956 expirations, and used it through 1961. Missouri was an early adopter of staggered expirations, and was the first state to issue plates with year stickers. The plate itself was undated, but was issued with a '56 sticker already attached between two tab slots (which were never used) at the top center. In subsequent years, the year stickers were larger and covered one or both tab slots. Earlier issues of this base were all numeric; later issues had a alpha prefix.

This was the final state I needed for this set, which I acquired in April 2006. It's not a rare plate or anything, but some state had to be last. County number 36 is Lawrence County. Arkansas changed the serial dies mid-year in 1959; the plate shown is the more common earlier version. Later-issue 1959 plates have the rounded, more normal looking 1960 serial dies.

The dated 1959 base plate was renewed for 1960 and 1961 with metal tabs that attached to the upper right bolt hole and covered the "59". The "RG" serial prefix identifies this plate as having come from Muskegon County.

Florida was another southern state that used both county codes and weight class codes on the same plate. The "10" means this vehicle was registered in Broward County; the "W" means that it was a passenger car weighing between 3,500 and 4,500 pounds.

Tab slots were never used; a new plate was issued in 1960.

The stacked "12" indicated that the motorist lived in Calhoun County. Note the completely different dies used for the county number versus the serial number.

The dated '59 base was issued in 1958 and 1959 with staggered expiration dates; a metal "60" tab was applied for 1960 expirations. Each month had a specific serial prefix letter assigned; after plate x99-999 was issued in a given month, they went to two-letter prefixes using the same first letter, with the second letter variable but starting at "K".

Similar to Pennsylvania in 1958, California initially issued dated '56 plates with tab slots, but then the following year used stickers to show that the registration was current. Plates were issued in pairs, but the sticker was applied to the rear plate only. The dated 1956 base plate was used through 1962. This particular plate was issued in early 1959, based on the registration number. In 1960, newly issued plates no longer came with tab slots.

The dated 1958 base was issued in 1958 and renewed with a '59 metal tab. Base plates issued in 1959 looked similar, but were undated; these also used the '59 tab. Both were replaced in 1960 with a new base. The first and second serial characters identified the U.S. congressional district and the issuing state vehicle registration office within that district, respectively. This plate was issued from the office located in the town of Waseca.

This base was originally issued in 1955 with an embossed '56 expiration year. At some point after 1955, the expiration year was no longer stamped on the plate; this plate is one of those later models. In about November 1959, a new base with the legend "Pacific Wonderland" began to be issued with late 1960 expiration dates.

The stacked "MS" is the county code for Marshall County.

There's nothing special about the "17" prefix; West Virginia plates were issued sequentially.

All Nevada passenger plates of this era expired annually each June 30, and had a one- or two-letter serial prefix, smaller than the numbers, that identified the county where the vehicle was registered. The 1959 expiration plate is from Clark County, home of Las Vegas. The low contrast color scheme on this plate (silver on light blue) would never pass muster today. The 1960 expiration plate is from Washoe County, where Reno is located.

Dated 1958 base was issued in 1958 and 1959; 1959 registrations also used a metal '59 tab. The "21" is the county code for Scott's Bluff County. Notice that way back in the 1950s, Nebraska was an Atkins-friendly state!

The "XC" prefix identifies this plate as having been issued in Bent County, one of the smaller counties in the state.

Dated '58 base was issued 1958 through 1961; a metal year tab indicated the registration year after 1958.

Dated '57 base was issued 1957 through 1959; metal year tabs were applied in 1958 and 1959. Mt. Rushmore graphic is screened, which is remarkable for a 1950s plate. This "21" is also a county code; in South Dakota, "21" means Custer County.

The dated '59 base plate was made of unpainted aluminum. It was validated with a metal year tab for the years 1960 through 1962. There were two versions of the '59 plate: the majority, including this example, had the words "Prison Made" lightly embossed along the bottom edge, but some plates do not have this legend. I believe that these latter plates were actually issued in 1962. County number 31 is Teton County.

Washington 1958 base plates had no embossed year, but came with a '58 sticker already attached. They were then validated annually with stickers through 1962. Despite the serial format, these plates were county-coded; plate numbers beginning with "A", as well as stickers with an "A" prefixed serial number, were from King County.

Tab slots were never used; a new 1960 plate replaced this one. The stacked "1A" indicates the registrant lived in Ada County with Idaho's unique alphanumeric county coding system.

The "6" to the left of the bronco identifies the plate as having been issued in Carbon County. The bucking bronco made its debut in 1936, and has been a fixture on Wyoming plates ever since. For details about the bronco, and how it came to be on Wyoming license plates, click here.

The embossing on Oklahoma plates through 1959 looked especially primitive. The dies were changed for 1960, and from that point forward, the embossing looked crisp and modern. The "2" is a county code for Tulsa County.

County number 14 was Valencia County. Plates in single digit counties had "Land of Enchantment" centered, and had a small "19" (for the first two digits of the year) in the lower left corner. This base was renewed in 1960 with a "60" sticker affixed to a metal tab, which attached to the lower right bolt hole and covered the "59" on the base.

The dated '59 base was issued in both 1959 and 1960; the 1960 registration was indicated with a sticker placed in the upper right corner of the plate.

The dated '58 base was issued in 1958 and 1959; a metal tab was affixed for 1959 registrations.

This undated plate was issued 1957-1960. Windshield stickers were used to show that registration was current. Hawaii used an alphabetic county coding system; but most of the letters were assigned to Honolulu County, including the letter "X" found on this example. The letter "X" and the serial format also indicate that this plate was likely issued in 1959.

Similar to neighboring Maryland, Washington, D.C. plates of this era were issued annually and bore the complete expiration date, which was always March 31.

Until about 1990, Puerto Rican passenger car plates and/or stickers usually indicated both the issue year and expiration year. The last annually-issued plate was dated "1958-59"; I'm still looking for one of these. The undated base plate shown was issued from 1959 to 1963, and was used during the 1959-60 registration year without stickers. Renewal stickers were used for 1960-61 and subsequent registration years through 1965-66.