Looking for general opinions on tag types. Trying to figure out which plate to run on our 32 Chevy 5 window coupe. My Dad has a bunch of 32 Virginia plates that were found under a porch roof, Apparently, someone had shingled the main roof of the house with 32 plates. We have some singles, and some pairs. All of the plates we have, but one, though are pre-fixed with a (T-truck, C-commercial, or D-dealer) Would you run the the single, or would you run the dealer ? (we have a pair of dealer tags ending in the numbers (32). [/IMG]
The dealer tag ... if in GOOD shape isworth a good bit of CA$H to a license tag collector. But I would run if if Viringia allows the use of ( DOM ) Date of Manufacture tags.
Might check with the DMV. You may not be able to run dealer tags without a hassle. Of course they may not know thats what they are being 32 tags. Another thing to think about is they made me bring in both tags to make sure I had them both. Maybe because Va has a front plate law, not that I run one.
Duece Roadster, thanks for the reply as well as posting the pic. Seems I blew the copy /paste thing. All of the plates are in real good shape other than just a few that are bent. All of them have some paint loss to the white lettering. I'll re-do the tags I run, and, yes Virginia will let you run them. I don't know if registering a former dealer plate will be an issue as I'm not a dealer. Something to consider I guess.
I wondered about them being dealer tags. Luckily I do have a pair, if they will let me run them. I only have the single regular tag. Although, I thought I had read somewhere that Virginia didn't require you to run front tags on antique type vehicles.
A lot depends on which DMV office you go to. It might be better in Richmond but NOVA is hit or miss on who you talk to. I've been doing this so long I know who to get when I go. Car & garage both look nice!!!
In Mass you can use them if they are in original condition. Check before you paint anything. Nice find, good luck
I think you answered your own question. I think you need a pair to even start the paper work. I would not offer any information that they don't ask for. I doubt very seriously that a clerk in the local DMV will know that the D stands for dealer. I'm sure they won't come up stolen if they spent that many years on a roof. If you ask them if you can register these "dealer" tags on my old car, that might open a can of worms. Hand them to the lady and pay your money. I know of a guy with a Model A roadster with 1958 Md. plates on it. He wanted the imaginary year of when the car was first built as a hot rod. He just took them in and the lady did not catch it. She checked to see if the colors were correct for 58 but didn't realize that it was going on a 1931 Ford. He got his paper work and it gets renewed every time it comes up. I wonder if this was a dealer tag.
That would be a pretty SAFE bet ... I collect a few old license tags ( but it is far from a obsession ... ) like the Deuce obsession and a LOT of the states did have a " D " on the tag for dealer. As for using a DOM tag on a older vehicle, here in South Carolina you just have to have a PHOTO of the tag you want to use. You do not have to present the actual tag to DMV. So most of the people are repainting or restoring their tags ( back to the correct colors ).
good luck with dmv letting you do anything thats cool! it has taken me 3 months to get my 63 black plates assigns to my vic. now im gonna get my front one refurrbedd but yeah. id say run a single.. just my opinion. corvettes dont come stock today with two!
I just can't believe that there would be a need for 783 dealer tags in D.C. in 1932. Maybe more people than Wyoming but I bet fewer dealerships. It's only a 68.3 square miles.
Here in my state ... a good many of the dealerships have 15 or more dealer plates. You know that DC ... was less restrictive then ... when compared to now. So it stands to reason ... more every sales employee had one and then you have the BOSS, his wife and possibly the KIDS too. 783 does seem to be a little on the high side but maybe the DMV was like GoodGuys and NSRA with registration numbers ... they started @ 500.
I have a 32 KY tag that begins with a 5 pointed star symbol; it was used for trucks. I'm sure DMV has no idea what it means.
I went through this yesterday (California) Supervisor flips open a book which has pics & ID's each type of plate. She then asks what type vehicle. It also shows letter & number examples which they checked to make sure they were correct. You have to have both plates here & they make a photocopy of your plate. I was worried about mine being restored. Her comment- "Wow, these are in great shape for being 78 years old". I just kept my trap shut.
In the 50s-60s Maryland used 2 letters followed by 4 numbers for cars and 4 numbers followed by 2 letters for trucks. I have seen truck tags on cars at shows. Nobody is old enough to remember the difference. If the colors are right and they match, it's a go. It really doesn't matter. My buddy recently found a set still in the wrapper that have a 5 pointed star in place of the 2 letters. It turns out that they were only used for county and town vehicles and never given to the public. He has them registered on his 66 Fairlane. He gets lots of questions. They are cool because they are so different. Every state is different on the YOM guide lines. When Md. first started YOM you had to take the tags to Glen Burnie in person where there was one woman that had to approve the tags. That could be a 3 hr trek one way for some guys. Fortunately all the satellite offices do it today. The most feared words in the English language comes from the clerk at the tag & title counter... "you can't do that".
Thanks for the input. Got a ways to go before she's ready to register. I live in a small town of under 3600, but our town office is the local dmv office as well. Doubt I'd get much flack there as their main concern is town utility bill payments. Now we just need to finish the car!
I don't. The plates we got were all Virginia plates and with all the truck, commercial, & dealer tags there were, I'm assuming they were all unissued plates that someone working for the state got, brought home, and then shingled the roof with them. The ones we have were all protected by a porch roof that was built over the main roof. I would have loved to seen a picture of the whole house shingled in '32 plates!
Yes they Do. You are issued 2 plates (unless it's a trailer or M/C) and the 'vettes have a spot for the front plate. BTW,have you got your front plate back from the DMV yet??
Louisiana is the last 32 plate that I need to complete my set. I quit looking a few years ago. They are too expensive for me when they do show up. Hawaii and Alaska are out of the question. In the 50s-60s we bought our used cars from my uncle who was a Pontiac dealer in Pa.. Pa. only had the rear tag so we had to go to Pep Boys and buy a universal tag bracket to mount the front tag.
Here in Alabama, a passenger car must have a passenger tag, truck for a truck and cycle for a cycle. The DMV clerks have been provided with a means to ID each year and type, but I suspect many of them don't bother. I tried to register an early dealer plate on one vehicle and they caught it, but I also know another guy that has a 66 truck tag on his Corvette. They happen to be black that year and he took a Sharpie & colored out the "H" prefix. Go figure! If they give you any trouble about the dealer plates and you need a good pair pf passengers let me know. I can probably point you in the right direction. Deron
Not sure what you need in VA but am restoring a 32 and would like to have 32 tags so when you find out and want to sell let me know. Another 32' fan in Virginia.
Texas has stopped letting us run dealer plates. When we renew in 13 we will have to have something else. I had one restored for the 32 panel thing and traded it for a set of commerical. Took a licking on that deal. Will have to pull the dealer off the 5w and use passenge plates.
Here's a couple of vintage Oklahoma plates on two local '32's. In the old days, the first number stood for the county, one being Oklahoma county, 2 being Tulsa county, etc, (don't know what county 9 is) Here in Oklahoma you pay extra over and above your regular plate for a "vintage tag" which allows you to run an old tag as your on the street tag.
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