Many license plate collectors, myself included, either have or are working on a "birth year set", which is a collection
of license plates from every state from the year they were born. I've never heard of anyone with a high school
graduation year set, but I certainly don't mind being the first. Maybe this idea will catch on with other
collectors, too. These plates are more significant to me than those in my birth year set, because I actually
remember seeing them in use.
These are all "passenger plates", which are license plates of the type that would be issued to regular passenger
cars. Both standard-issue plates, and optional plates where applicable, are shown. Since by 1977 most states
had staggered expiration dates indicated with stickers, whenever possible I'm collecting plates that have the date "77" on
the plate or the sticker, preferably naturals. In states that had multiple base plates in use in 1977, as a lower
priority I will also also strive to obtain examples of older base plates that indicate registration in 1977. Maine
is the first state where I'm able to show both an older base renewed with a 1977 sticker, and the then-current base with a
natural 1977 sticker.
These plates are displayed in sequence based on an imaginary road trip around the country, starting in my home state of
Maryland, and visiting Washington, D.C. and each of the contiguous 48 states once and only once. This trip
necessarily ends in Maine, because Maine is the only state bordered by only one other state. Therefore, the trip
more or less takes you in a big clockwise circle around the country. The non-contiguous states and territories
follow at the bottom of the page.

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Maryland
bordered by the District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and
Delaware
In the 1970s, Maryland passenger car plates all expired on March 31 of the year indicated on the sticker.
The red-on-white base was the standard issue; the graphic Bicentennial plate was an extra-cost optional
issue. Both plates were first issued in 1975 and were valid through March 1980 with appropriate
stickers. |

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District of Columbia
bordered by Maryland and Virginia
D.C. Bicentennial plates were standard issues first seen in March 1974. Low serial numbers up to 1250
were VIP plates assigned by the Mayor's office. Regular people were issued serials beginning at
100*001.
From 1933 to 2001, D.C. issued special event plates for U.S. presidential inagurations. These were valid
license plates that could be used on any vehicle in the U.S. for a period of a few months. President Jimmy
Carter was inaugurated in 1977. |

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Virginia
bordered by Maryland, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee,
and North Carolina
Like Maryland, Virginia offered a plain standard passenger car plate as well as an extra-cost graphic
Bicentennial plate. Notice the completely different dies used to embosss the serial numbers on these two
bases. The standard plate was issued from about 1973 to 1980 and was used for several years beyond
that. The Bicentennial plate was introduced in 1975 and can still be renewed even today. |
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West Virginia
bordered by Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania
West Virginia passenger car plates from the mid-to-late 1970s are confusing. I'll spare you all the
details, but there were no plates or stickers indicating the year 1977. Two versions of the 1976 "map"
graphic plate expired in 1977 – the short serial die version with first character 1 through 7, a screened
"76" in the lower right corner, and no year stickers; and also the tall serial die version with first character
8, 9, O, N, or D, with a "1976" sticker covering the screened "76" on the plate, as shown at left. The
first serial character indicates the expiration month, September in this case. |
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Kentucky
bordered by Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and
Ohio
This 1975 base plate was valid for three years with appropriate renewals stickers. The stickers
themselves were rounded at one corner so they'd fit snugly against the embossed border in the proper corner of the
plate. The motorist's county of residence is indicated at the bottom center. |
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Tennessee
bordered by Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi,
Arkansas, and Missouri
When 1976 annual registrations expired statewide in February 1977, Tennessee simultaneously introduced their
first graphic plate and converted to staggered registrations. The earliest staggered expiration date was
September 1977. 1977 expirations were indicated on this base with a month sticker in the lower left corner
and the screened "'77" in the lower right corner. The number "5" to the left of the dash in the serial
number indicates that this motorist resided in Sullivan County. |
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North Carolina
bordered by Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia
It's hard to believe that a state where slavery was legal until the 1860s would promote themselves as
First in Freedom, but that's exactly what North Carolina did on this 1975 base
plate. The controversial slogan was absent from newly issued plates starting in about 1979, but these 1975
plates continued to be renewed and used until about 1985. |
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South Carolina
bordered by North Carolina and Georgia
This was South Carolina's first graphic plate, and their first multi-year base plate since World War II.
It was valid through November 1976 without stickers, and was used through 1980 with the appropriate expiraiton
stickers. That red thing in the middle of the plate is supposed to be a palmetto, the state
tree. |
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Georgia
bordered by Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Alabama
Georgia used this base plate from 1976 to 1982 with appropriate validation stickers. Despite the
seemingly generic numbering format, the first serial letter was actually a weight class code. "C" was one
of the letters used for the lightest weight class, which was for cars weighing only 1,000 to 3,000 pounds.
The motorist's county is identified with a sticker applied at the lower edge of the plate. |
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Florida
bordered by Georgia and Alabama
1977 was a transition year for Florida license plates. Not only did they begin a state-wide replate, but
also the new plates abandoned the long practice of using county codes and weight codes. Pictured is an
outgoing, old-school plate; the "12" indicates Lake County, and the lack of a letter indicates a passenger car
weighing between 2,501 and 3,500 pounds. |
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Alabama
bordered by Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and
Mississippi
This graphic Alabama plate is considered to be a U.S. Bicentennial plate due to the logo in the lower right
corner, but was introduced in September 1976, two months after the date of the actual event. The plate was
valid without stickers through September 1977. Some of these plates had a county name sticker covering the
blue bar at the bottom. |
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Mississippi
bordered by Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas
Mississippi issued its first graphic plate in October 1976. The plate had a screened '77 date in the
sticker well, and was valid without stickers through October 1977. The motorist's county of residence is
embossed at the bottom of the plate. |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Louisiana
bordered by Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas |
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Arkansas
bordered by Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri
Arkansas introduced a plain, red-on-white base plate in 1968, but by 1975 had added the legend
Land of Opportunity to newly issued plates. A graphic plate was introduced in late
1977, while both all-embossed versions continued to be renewed through 1982. One unique feature of
Arkansas plates of this era is that they issued a new month sticker each year that matched the colors of the
year sticker. |
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Oklahoma
bordered by Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri
Oklahoma was one of only four states in 1977 still issuing new plates every year. The slogan
Oklahoma is OK was first used in 1967; it seems rather lame today. The prefix
letters "CG" indicate the plate was issued to someone living in Craig County. |
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Texas
bordered by Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico
(and Mexico)
This base plate was introduced in 1975. Early versions had a star for a separator; in late 1975 or early
1976, the separator was changed to the state map. |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
New Mexico
bordered by Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado (and Mexico).
Shares a corner with Utah. |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Arizona
bordered by New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and California (and Mexico).
Shares a corner with Colorado. |
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Utah
bordered by Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado.
Shares a corner with New Mexico.
Utah issued a number of plain, black-on-white base plates between 1973 and 1985, with minor differences
between them. All of these may continue to be renewed today. That triangle-shaped thing in the
middle of the plate is supposed to be a beehive, which is the state symbol. Beehive plates were issued to
new registrants between about 1975 and 1978. |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Nevada
bordered by Arizona, Utah, California, Oregon, and Idaho |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
California
bordered by Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon
(and Mexico) |
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Oregon
bordered by Nevada, California, Washington, and Idaho
These orange plates were issued to new registrants in the 1970s and 1980s, and like all Oregon passenger car
plates issued since 1955, can still be used today if continuously registered. |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Washington
bordered by Oregon and Idaho (and Canada) |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Idaho
bordered by Utah, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Wyoming (and Canada) |
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Montana
bordered by Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota (and Canada)
This base plate was issued from 1976 to 1990, with the last registration period expiring in 1991. The
"4" serial prefix identifies this plate as having been issued in Missoula County. |
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Wyoming
bordered by Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Nebraska, and South Dakota
This was Wyoming's first multi-year base, issued in 1975 and renewed in 1976 and 1977 with stickers.
The "2" to the left of the bucking bronco graphic indicates this plate was issued in Laramie County. |
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Colorado
bordered by Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska.
Shares a corner with Arizona.
Colorado introduced its long-running white on green mountain base plate in 1977, and it was valid without
stickers during its first year. In 1978 and subsequent years, these plates were validated with stickers
applied to the rear plate only. The "BE" serial prefix identifies the plate as having been issued to a
Denver County motorist. The xx-0000 serial format was issued during the first
few years; as each county's allotment of prefix letters were used up, they then switched to other
formats. |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Kansas
bordered by Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska, and Missouri |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Nebraska
bordered by Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, and Missouri |
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South Dakota
bordered by Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa
South Dakota pioneered the use of screened graphics in the 1950s, and by the mid-1970s had gotten pretty
sophisticated with them. This base plate was issued and used in 1976 without stickers, and was kept current
with renewal stickers through 1981. The "ME" serial prefix identifies this plate as being from Minnehaha
County. |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
North Dakota
bordered by Montana, South Dakota, and Minnesota
(and Canada) |
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Minnesota
bordered by South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa (and Canada)
Minnesota used the dated 1974 base through 1977; staggered expiration months were introduced in 1975.
The orange paint tended to fade pretty readily on these. There were three different die sets used for serial
numbers during the life of this base. |
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Wisconsin
bordered by Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan
Hello, Wisconsin! This is the type of plate that would have been used on Eric Forman's Vista Cruiser or
one of the other classic cars featured on That 70's Show. The letters at the
bottom left corner actually read "APR", indicating an April expiration. The bolt hole clobbered most of the
right leg of the letter "R". |
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Iowa
bordered by Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Illinois
On the 1975 base plates, Iowa went to an alphanumeric serial format, with each six-character serial only used
once statewide. Despite that, they also retained their county number codes, resulting in a bizarre
0/0xxx000 serial format. "94" is the number code for Webster County.
This base plate was renewed with stickers through 1978. |
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Missouri
bordered by Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa,
and Illinois
Only people whose registrations expired during the first half of year actually had these spiffy 1977 expiration
Bicentennial plates on their cars on the date of the actual anniversary. Everyone else still had the
completely ordinary 1976 expiration plates, and only got their Bicentennial plates after the event was already
over. |
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Illinois
bordered by Kentucky, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri,
and Indiana
Illinois quickly ditched their graphic 1976 Bicentennial plates, reverting back to the same plain design they
had been using since the 1950s. In 1977, Illinois was only one of four states that were still replacing
their plates every year. Passenger car serial formats could be all-numeric, or using a two-letter prefix
as shown here. |
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Indiana
bordered by Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio
This plate would seem to have expired in March 1976, but really it was March 1977. During the 1970s,
Indiana still annually issued new plates to all registrants. Once staggered expirations were begun, the
expiration year was normally shown on the plate; Indiana plates actually expiring in 1976 had the 1976 date on the
plate and were non-graphic. Indiana jumped on the Bicentennial bandwagon at the last minute, with these
plates that were issued in 1976 and expired in 1977. Plates issued in 1977 and expiring in 1978 once again
bore the expiration year. The number(s) to the left of the minuteman graphic identify the county; "38" is
for Jay County. |
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Michigan
bordered by Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio
(and Canada)
In my book, this plate wins the prize for "Plate of the Decade" for the entire 1970s. It's patriotic,
and very colorful – like a loud, plaid sport jacket with extra-wide 1970s lapels. This base was
valid for use during 1976 without stickers; a single renewal sticker was applied to the rear plate for 1977 and
1978. |
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Ohio
bordered by West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and
Pennsylvania
In contrast to the Michigan plate, they don't get much more boring than this one from neighboring Ohio.
Ohio used a variety of serial formats to identify the region of the state the plates was issued; this format with
a single letter prefix would be from the central part of the state, near Columbus. This base plate was
issued starting in April 1976 and was valid through May 1977 without stickers. Stickers indicating the expiraiton
month and year were then used to validate this plate through 1980. |
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Pennsylvania
bordered by Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York
Pennsylvania was the first state to issue Bicentennial plates in March 1971, and was also among the first to
replace them in March 1977. These plates were valid without stickers in 1977 and were on the road through
1999. |
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Delaware
bordered by Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey
Non-embossed plates with screened registration numbers have become commonplace in recent years, but the company
that produced Delaware plates pioneered this method of plate manufacture beginning in about 1970. Delaware
plates have remained essentially unchanged since then, except for a couple of different serial number fonts used
on plates made since the early 2000s. |
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New Jersey
bordered by Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York
New Jersey made plates in this same style from 1959 until mid-1977, with the only real change during that time
being the serial format switch from letters at the front to letters at the end. Evidence of current
registration was provided by means of a windshield sticker. During 1977, for the first time ever, New
Jersey began issuing plates with the state name spelled in full. |
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New York
bordered by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont
(and Canada)
New York used these obnoxious blue-on-orange plates from 1973 to 1986. Six-character serials were issued
until 1980, and some letter suffixes were loosely assigned by county, although apparently IKG was not among
these. The sticker box was never used; current registrations were indicated with windshield stickers.
Because of this, and since serials weren't issued sequentially, there's usually no way to precisely identify when
a particular plate was issued. |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Connecticut
bordered by New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Rhode Island
bordered by Connecticut and Massachusetts |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Massachusetts
bordered by New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Vermont
bordered by New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire
(and Canada) |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
New Hampshire
bordered by Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine
(and Canada) |

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Maine
bordered by New Hampshire (and Canada)
The 1974 base plate shown at top left was obviously renewed several times. At the time, Maine instructed
motorists to apply subsequent year stickers in each successive corner in a clockwise direction.
The embossed year was absent from newly-issued Maine plates beginning in 1975. The undated base at
bottom left is one of these; this one has a natural 1977 expiration. I can't say why this motorist chose
to put the expiration sticker in the lower right corner of the plate. |
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Alaska
(bordered by Canada)
This attractive graphic plate, featuring a standing bear, was introduced for the 1976 registration year and
used through the early 1980s. It was quite different from any other Alaska plates before or since, which
have pretty much always used the color blue along with yellow and/or white, and have usually featured the state
flag. |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Hawaii
(Pacific islands) |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
American Samoa
(Pacific island) |
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Guam
(Pacific island)
The island of Guam had a few different plates that were used on passenger cars in 1977. One of them
was this dated 1974 base plate with a 1977 renewal sticker. The others had no embossed year, but rather a
debossed "77" in the sticker well, and were used without stickers during 1977.
Hafa Adai means "Hello" in Chamorro, the native language of the Mariana islands, of
which Guam is a part. |
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Canal Zone
(bordered by Panama)
The Canal Zone was a strip of land flanking the Panama Canal that was administered by the U.S. from 1903 to
1979. A 1977 treaty between the U.S. and Panama returned jurisdiciton of the Canal Zone to Panama in 1979,
and turned over operation of the canal itself in 1999. Note that the legend on the plate is written in
English, rather than Spanish, the language of Panama. |
|
(1977 plate wanted) |
Puerto Rico
(Carribean island) |
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U.S. Virgin Islands
(Carribean islands)
Yes, I realize that this is a 1975 plate. However, the U.S. Virgin Islands used their dated 1975 plates
for two additional years; proof of current registration for 1976 and 1977 was indicated via windsheild
stickers. Single-letter serial prefixes were used for passenger car plates; the letters could be either C,
J, or T, corresponding to the islands of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas, respectively. |