"M.T. Blake" (autohabit)
10/14/2018 at 09:25 • Filed to: license plate escapades, automotive philosophy, project car, fun with digits, number me numbered, mysterious dmv, dmv, california, license plate, license plates, yom, vintage plates, 1960s legacy plates, 60s legacy |  6
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I have always hated personalized license plates. So much so, I had trouble driving my wife’s car with girly personalized plates. But when California released the 60s Legacy plates I began to change my mind...
The Legacy of the 1960s
In 2015 California re-released black and yellow plates that were available in the 1960s under a program called the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
They required a minimum of 7,500 pre-orders. The program was initially for the 50s (yellow and black), 60s, and 70s (blue and yellow) legacy plates but only the 60s plates made the required minimum pre-orders.
I think this could have been a good plate to have issued but sadly no one wanted it...
Now the 60s Legacy Plate is actually easy to obtain! It is essentially a form and a small fee each year but you have to decide if you want DMV generated or personalized digits (the latter costs more).
Sequentially Sequestered in Slight of Sight
I opted for the DMV generated digits as opposed to personalized ( ex: 4NAKTR ). Mainly because as ‘cool’ as I’d like to be, I am far too self-conscious to get something as conceited as “MOMONEY” on my license plate.
A 1970s example of a whipped spouse.
The plates in the 1960s had the prefix of three letters followed by three numbers (ex: ABC 123). The new-60s legacy plates are one letter, three numbers, one letter, and one number (A123B4).
My Camaro with original plates from 1970.
I figured with the DMV generated digits I’d get the unique 60s plate and none of the ‘What does that mean?’ or people honking at you because you have an inappropriate acronym on both bumpers.
An actual 60's plate issued to... Tom? No, just a happy coincidence.
I did however want to go one step further. Not only would I get 60s license plates for my 4Runner, but our Sienna as well. The challenge was to try and get sequential plates for them. That’s plates for both cars that are one digit apart. One car could be A100B0 and the other A101B0.
It seemed like such as easy thing to do. Heck, both forms were submitted together. If these plates were available over the counter it would be very easy as most DMV offices receive a batch of sequentially numbered plates.
You’d think the bean counter at DMV would be entering both cars data at relatively the same time? That there was no way anyone else could be doing data entry to sneak in other people’s plates between my two requests?
The official plate of the sequential department at DMV.
Well apparently FIVE snuck in... who ever was doing my entry wasn’t very fast. Thankfully it’s only one digit off but definitely not sequential. I can’t be too upset. Everything is positive in the name of research!
So close!!! If only I got N223P0 instead of 227.
To be frank I thought it would be a gamble. And if any of you want sequential plates, it is a complete game of chance. The surefire way to get sequential plates would be to order personalized plates that are one digit different. In retrospect that could have been the best way but I simply wasn’t creative enough at the time. I also didn’t want to pay more for the personalized plate ($50 more per car, per year I believe?)
Wasted Time?!
Why would I want nearly sequential plates for two of my cars? Well I was inspired. Several years ago I found that a family friend had the same plate digits as two of their family members from other states.
Looks much better with black plates IMHO.
All three had the same license plate (ex: BM4UL) but the digits were on a California, Oregon, and Washington plate. Only if you saw them together you’d know they had anything to do with one another or knew each other.
The plate digits appeared random. The letters and numbers meant something to them but no one else. They could blend in and be anonymous to almost everyone and in almost every situation, except when around each other.
It was for this reason I decided to get nearly sequential license plates in a classic color. All the 60s charm without any of the conceitedness of a personalized plate. To top it off we’d have something in common in the family, an unobvious uniform. An Easter egg hidden in plain sight.
YOM Plates?
Now you might be asking yourself couldn’t I just get old original 1960s (or 50s or 70s?) license plates and affix them to one of my vehicles?!
The short answer... Yes and no.
California has a program that allows you to affix vintage plates to your vehicle under the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
You can affix original 1960s license plates to your vehicle. The catch is that it must be on a vehicle from 1963 to 1969. It also has to have the proper prefix for the type of vehicle ( auto, commercial, motorcycle ) AND it cannot conflict with digits currently in use.
You can actually affix an original plate to any 1980 or older vehicle in California. It has to be consistent with the original plate that would have been issued to it when it was new.
Nearly Sequential and That’s Okay.
Well it would have been sequential had my data entry technician been faster at typing... Or maybe had they not gone on break? I have no idea but clearly it is highly unlikely to ever get sequential license plates unless you order them personalized (ex: BALONY1 & BALONY2)
The new plates makes me think the truck itself is newer than it’s actual 2011 vintage.
All I know is that for a nominal extra fee per year, I have two vehicles with
nearly
sequential license plates. An almost uniformly numbered set of vehicles in the driveway. To anyone it would appear just to be normal 60s legacy plates, but to me it’s more.
It’s the fact we can be recognized together. An automotive nearly matched pair. If only I could have gotten the numbers closer! I don’t think it is possible to get them much closer, unless you get really lucky. Maybe if your data entry tech stays to work through lunch... or everyone else calls in sick for the day...
I’m sure somewhere one of you with OCD has been going nuts over this article. You’ve had to write down the missing numbers, add them together each time you see them, or walk in and out of the room the same number of times as the average between them.
Now I’ve got a lie to maintain - “Why yes, I own the other five plates, they’re on my other cars at home.”
Some people might even believe that last one even if they know me... I think I’m over two dozen vehicles owned now...?!!!
PS: Mr Demuro released a video on his Ford GT’s ‘Arts Council’ California Plates. These are my second favorite currently obtainable CA plates. I do believe his GT would look better with the 60's plates, but there is a good story behind the Arts Council plates!
Just Jeepin'
> M.T. Blake
10/14/2018 at 09:41 |
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Indiana allows classic vehicles to wear plates from the year of production, so every time I think about buying an old CJ I start shopping on eBay for one I like.
Unfortunately my LJ was built while Indiana was offering the most unpopular plate in recent memory.
I met the artist once
and
don’t actually
hate
the design, although I do hate the typeface on it: something about the color combination, busy background,
and blocky letters makes it hard to read from a distance, something I discovered years go when a dangerous driver passed me a
nd I could not distinguish the number to call the police.
I don’t think the design works well from a distance either, so I suppose I can understand why it was so widely disliked.
Nibby
> M.T. Blake
10/14/2018 at 09:46 |
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II1I1I
> M.T. Blake
10/14/2018 at 09:51 |
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So close! At least you got a cool 222 on one of them.
I was so excited to see what plate I would get when I bought my new car in to get registered in my state. And t hen the lady pulls out 005 YEK. Auu ghh . It annoys me every time I see my car
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Just Jeepin'
> Nibby
10/14/2018 at 09:59 |
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M.T. Blake
> Just Jeepin'
10/14/2018 at 10:20 |
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How hard is it to find vintage IN plates? California are easy because LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF CARS.
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M.T. Blake
> Nibby
10/14/2018 at 10:20 |
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Locally I’ve seen WMWMMW
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M.T. Blake
>
10/14/2018 at 10:21 |
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Yeah I’m not fond of that one either. Anything with a Y Z or Q just doesn’t do it for me.
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Just Jeepin'
> M.T. Blake
10/14/2018 at 10:30 |
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Not hard to find one in general, although we probably have a few fewer cars , definitely hard if you want an interesting number.
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> M.T. Blake
10/14/2018 at 10:34 |
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I’m considering if it’s worth the $180 to swap registrations with my other car and get 895MWG back, which I liked.
Tohru
> M.T. Blake
10/14/2018 at 10:49 |
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My dad and I both have Hobbyist plates on our 1986 Chevy trucks (mine is an S10 with a V8, his is a lifted K10 shortbed). I told him to go get his plates right after mine, but he waited a week to do his. One other person got Hobbyist plates between mine and his. We could have had sequentials! ;-;
UserNotFound
> M.T. Blake
10/14/2018 at 10:53 |
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Maryland had a similar vintage plate in 2014. I chose to get vanity plates, but in my defense, I think I’m pretty clever.
I never thought of getting sequential plates, though. That's a cool idea.
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M.T. Blake
> UserNotFound
10/14/2018 at 11:43 |
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That’s about what I’d do if i got personalized. I remember meeting a guy with a Ford GT years ago with the plate “A BLU GT”. I’d do something like that lol.
interstate366, now In The Industry
> Just Jeepin'
10/14/2018 at 12:02 |
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I've seen a few variations of that where I live. Usually street racers.
functionoverfashion
> M.T. Blake
10/16/2018 at 13:52 |
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I understand this quest. I have year-of-manufacture plates on my truck, and it was a bit of a bureaucratic tap dance but they’re on there now.
My wife has a low-digit plate, which is a Big Thing if you’re into that. Her former boss had 287 which he only got because his friend had 312 or something. He could have had 500, which is arguably cooler, but not lower than 312. It gets silly. I saw 12 the other day, that’s the lowest I’ll probably ever see since I don’t think there are single digit regular plates.
For such a thing, you can’t request them, you can’t apply for them, you either have to have been issued the plate originally (and had it in your name since then) or “know someone” at DMV. My wife is of the latter, she got a plate that’s 4 digits, meaningful to her but otherwise just 4 numbers. We’ll have that forever, I’m sure.
diplodicus
> M.T. Blake
10/16/2018 at 13:58 |
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I asked the lady at the SOS (Michigan DMV) how the standard plates are distributed because I happened to meet someone where are plates were sequential. According to her the state just ships them out to the DMVs randomly. I didn’t do so hot in stats class but I feel like the odds of meeting my license plate neighbor are pretty dang low. But it happened.
fintail
> M.T. Blake
10/16/2018 at 14:29 |
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The old “sun” plates have always appealed to me, so 80s:
In WA there are no retro plates, just standard plates and seemingly dozens of extra cost plates denoting a cause or hobby. We do have YOM plates anyway, which always look good on a period car.
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M.T. Blake
> functionoverfashion
10/16/2018 at 18:14 |
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Wow. I’d love to have a low digit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything below four digits though in person.
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M.T. Blake
> fintail
10/16/2018 at 18:16 |
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Sunset plates were the shortest produced of modern plates. Very cool. I looked at an old diesel and one thing that drew me toward it was the sunset plates.
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functionoverfashion
> M.T. Blake
10/16/2018 at 20:03 |
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In New Hampshire I see a fair number of 3-digits, and a decent number of 4-digits. Of course now that I have a 4-digit in the household, I notice more of them.
My wife got her 4-digit when she was in a lower position in the state government than she’s in now... I’m secretly (ok not secretly, I tell her all the time) hoping she can get one for me too. Or get herself a 3-er and give me the 4. haha
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fintail
> M.T. Blake
10/16/2018 at 20:52 |
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The palm tree arts plates are mildly similar, enough that I might choose them, especially if on an 80s car without original plates.
Speaking of plates, my fintail was sold new in CA, and had black plates “N” prefix when new. Long gone though, as it has been here for 40 years.
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M.T. Blake
> functionoverfashion
10/17/2018 at 01:15 |
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I’m jealous. We’ve got 40m people in CA. Special plates are snapped up too quickly.
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functionoverfashion
> M.T. Blake
10/17/2018 at 09:28 |
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Well, the “system” we have is that you can’t get them. It’s entirely by knowing the right people that you can get these low-digit plates, and they’re not transferable. The only way to pass a plate from one generation to the next would be to register a car to a trust, which is pretty unusual.
edit: also, yeah, there are only about 1.5M people in NH.