I want to get a 1950 Florida License plate to go on my 1950 Ford, and I wanted to know is there anyone or any place that can tell me what the different codes for Florida were in the 1950's. For example I know Orange county was 7 - ##### but what was the difference between 7w-#### and just 7 - #####? I've seen a few of these kicking around that just need a good sand blasting and coat of paint before they'd look right at home on the Ford. Just a bit of history for me also, could you get vanity plates in the 50's or what it just whatever the DMV handed you?
Give this guy a try...he may have the answers for you. www.larryslicenseplates.com he knows his license plates...and he's a real nice guy to talk to. Good luck. _____________________________ LIFE'S A GAMBLE......LET EM' ROLL
In Alabama, license numbers begin with the #1 for the county where Birmingham, the largest city/county population in the state, then #2 for Mobile and #3 for Montgomery down through the smallest county. When the numbers ran out they added an A to the first number group. Different states have different reasons for their numbering systems as far as ID for a certain area goes.
Not sure if all states do this but i'm pretty sure in Oregon with vintage plates you only register them once and theyre good for the life of ownership.
Probably your best source is an 80 year old car freak who has lived in the area all his life. I can understand where you are coming from and it was a big deal to guys like my dad and his cronies in the 50's and 60's in Washington state. "A" meant you had the car registered in Seattle, "B" meant Pierce county, "C" was Spokane and "Z" was Klickitat over around Goldendale. When someone pulled into your yard or place of business you looked at his plate to see if he was a local guy or an out of town guy. I always wondered if there were stacks of old unused plates on the shelves of some county auditor's storeroom over in SE Wa where the population wasn't and still isn't very big.
I believe the Letter after the county number was issued for GVW , it doesn't matter, all you have to match is the year of the tag with your car.....As far as blasting and repainting it, you have to first send it Tallahassee in its unaltered state, along with a copy of the the title/ registration if its registered already, and a check for $50. It has to get approved by them, then if you get the thumbs up, go ahead and restore it once you get it back. Double check if the plate number is not in use by going to the FL DMV site and plug in the number of your plate as if you were ordering a custom vanity plate to check if its in use.
It may not matter to the Fla tag police. In Md vintage plates from the 60s were different for cars and trucks. There were 2 letters before the the 4 numbers on a car. Trucks had the 4 numbers followed by the 2 letters and a different exp. date. I've seen more than one car with truck tags. The state doesn't care as long as they get their money. If it matters to you then is there going to be anyone but you that knows? Old farts like me might remember but the rest of the population won't have a clue and probably not the DMV either.
let me search my files, I have a site saved somewhere. It explains it in full detail what you have to do.....
Check out this page, should answer all your questions. Also has the address where you have to send the tag to get approved. Remember don't restore the tag till its approved. They wont approve a restored tag. Good luck http://www.thevillagesvintagecarclub.org/how_to_register_your_vintage_car.htm
In Oregon they are indeed for life, but DMV for whatever reason registers them as Special Use (SP) plates. If your car doesn't have correct year plates and is 1956 or older, then it gets "Antique" (AQ) plates. I had AQ plate and when I found a correct year plate they charged me another full fee to change to that plate because it was considered SP. Did the same on my Camaro and they only charged me $7 because it was already an SP plate.
Perfect! Thanks! Like I said I know that '7' was Orange county after a little google time and that the last four were the individual number. I just need to find what the letter codes are.
7 is Orange county, the W signifies that the car weighed between 3500-4500 pounds. I had a heck of a time finding a non W 1958 plate for my 356A. A WW plate is for over 4500 pounds. You have to send the plate directly to Tallahassee for them to OK it. Now, it's important to remember that the DHSMV will only approve plates sent to them AND the plate CANNOT BE RESTORED IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. It also has to be in good condition, rusty? Faded? No way. Once they OK it they send it back to you via mail with a current sticker on it. Edit: I checked, I have a 7D plate on the 356... For under 2500 pounds. The DHSMV doesn't care about weight or county codes, if you live in Miami you could register a 1958 Lincoln with a 7D plate.
On Alabama tags, only the top 3 were ranked in order of population, rest were alphabetical. GA tags up through 1970 had counties ranked by population from 1 for Fulton down to 159 for Echols.
Thanks for the great information. All they care is that the tag is in decent unmolested shape, the year of your vehicle, and a Florida tag. Swap meets like Webster and Sumpter swap meets or large car shows are good sources in Florida. The first one or two numbers are for the county. They no longer care if you are in Martin county, #42, or Levy where I am. I have been fortunate (?) to have mine verified three different times by Orange County. Seems as though an Orange County patrol car looking nothing like a 55 Chevy wagon has a similar yet yellow tag with the same numbers, sort of. His has a STAR at the beginning. Mine the numbers 42-. The operators of the patrol car seem to make a habit of running toll booths and red lights. Wonder who gets the tickets? <TABLE cellPadding=6 width=750><TBODY><TR><TD align=center></TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>
Great info, thanks. I really love Orlando so if I can I want to be an 1950 plate specifically from Orange County on it. That's more or less what I figured so far as the 'W' that it had something to do with an industrial or commercial rating. Just out of curiosity where did you find that?
It's from memory actually! The weight classes are.. D Under 2500lbs These are tough to find (none) 2500-3499 W 3500-4500 WW over 4500 these are also tough to find. I did google this site... Seems to have lots of info on old Florida plates. http://www.floridalicenseplates.com/codes.php
Let me clarify... Say we're talking Orange county, which is 7 and the number of the plate is, say, 2987 A light weight car, like an MG would be 7D 2987 A slightly heavier car like, say, a Ford business coupe would be 7 2987 A heavier car, say a Chrysler Windsor or something would be 7W 2987 A heavy car, like a 58 Lincoln would be 7WW 2987 these are for passenger car plates, trucks, commercial, etc are going to be different. I'm not sure what a Pickup would have been registered as back then.
We have a group here on the Hamb which may be of help, or intrest. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=684 And heres a fun site, that im sure your'll get some fun outer. http://www.acme.com/licensemaker/ You can make any plate you want on this site, and it shows each states yearly plates. Pretend your in prison, and make some plates.
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