This page features a review of passenger and no- or low-cost optionals for all 50 states from my collection, put in order of states’ admittance to the Union.
Delaware has had the same base plate since 1969, a flat gold-on-teal design. There’s been very minor changes, and the shade of color varies at times, but that’s it. The serial combination is all-numeric, and the state recycles unused combinations on new plates.
Pennsylvania did not spell out its name in full until the 1960s, when it also started using the keystone image with regularity. A couple of interesting bases include the US Bicentennial base, which was issued a full five years before the actual Bicentennial year (and didn’t follow the typical color scheme of red and/or blue), and the 1986 base featuring the unusual slogan “You’ve Got a Friend in”. In 2016, the state stopped issuing registration stickers (going with a windshield sticker), and put a state map outline in the no-longer-used sticker well.
Like Pennsylvania, New Jersey was late to spell out its full name. The black-on-straw base debuted in 1959 and lasted 20 years with slight modifications. In 1979, one of my personal favorites, the buff-on-blue base with a state shape separator, hit the roads. Since 1993, the state has had the same basic base plate, with relatively small changes.
Apart from a prized 1941 issue which had a large peach decal in the center, and a US Bicentennial plate booster, Georgia issued fairly plain plates until 1990, when the peach made a triumphant return, replacing the “O” in the state name on a base also featuring a nice shade of peach on the bottom. Since then it’s been a part of each base. Motorists were split on the busy 2012 base, prompting an alternative base (PJA7061) to be offered concurrently.
Massachusetts featured the abbreviation “MASS” from the first issue (1903, the first state-issued plate in the U.S.) through 1966, and the box design from 1947-1966. The state has used some varying serial formats over the years, as shown with the two blue-on-white bases. Massachusetts didn’t use a slogan until the 1993 “Spirit of America” base, which remains the current base.
Maryland’s U.S. Bicentennial optional came out alongside the red-on-white 1976 base. Eight years later the 350th anniversary optional was popular enough that it became the basis for the 1986 “shield” base, used for many years thereafter with the modification of a website in 2005. New bases followed in 2010 and 2016.
South Carolina initiated base plates with the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial issue. The 1981 base featured a state map and state seal, while most bases since included a palmetto (the state tree) separator. South Carolina went to flat plates midway through the 1999 “Smiling Faces. Beautiful Places.” base.
New Hampshire residents had green and white plates for the state’s entire license plate history until a short-lived red-on-white base in 1978. The governor felt it closely resembled the plate of nearby Massachusetts and had them sent back to the prison for a repaint (XE6118 is an example; note how the red paint is still visible – this was the case for some, until others were just issued green on white). The 1980 base eliminated county codes (the alpha prefix). The slogan “Live Free or Die” and the Old Man of the Mountain have both been hallmarks in the last several decades. The U.S. Bicentennial booster was only issued to cover the front plate.
Virginia’s plain issues over the years – including the 1974 base which included a revision in the dies used in the state name – continued even after the U.S. Bicentennial optional. However, to celebrate the anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown, the state included some minor graphics. The 2009 base closely resembled the 1979 base, then a few years later slapped on the tourism slogan “Virginia is For Lovers.”
The iconic 1986 Statue of Liberty base followed the blue and orange bases of the 1960s and 70s. In 2001 “Empire State” made a comeback on a base featuring Niagara Falls, the highlands, and the cityscape of New York City. The 2010 base, dubbed “Empire Gold,” had a unique curved bar top and removed the landscape. The 2020 base brought the 2001 base landscape back along with the state motto, “Excelsior” (Latin for “ever upward”).
The “First in Freedom” base, celebrating the U.S. Bicentennial, ushered in the base plate era in North Carolina. The 1983 “First in Flight” base remains on the roads today. Some variations include an all-painted, non-reflectorized version (CXA-564), and one with a red serial; both had short runs. In 2015 “First in Freedom” returned on a no-cost alternate.
Like neighboring New Hampshire, Vermont has a long-standing run of green and white plates (though “only” since 1949). The 1977 base featured an unusual round sticker well which was never used. In 1985 the current base hit the roads.
A blue-and-white color scheme has ruled supreme in the Bluegrass State since 1953. A variety of colors, including dark green on the 1950 “waffle-style” plate, were used prior. The unusual 1978 base, with its single elongated sticker in the center and state abbreviation in each corner, lasted until 1983; KJY-911 and PPX-739 are steel and aluminum versions of that base. The 1988 Churchill Downs base paid homage to the state’s horseracing industry and one of America’s most famous tracks, while the 1998 base included a cloud in the state map and the 2003 base sported “Mr. Smiley.” The 2005 base, featuring the tourism branding “Unbridled Spirit,” had a long run before being replaced in 2020 by a modification of the ’05 base. Most notably this base dropped the branding and enlarged the map and moved it to the left.
Tennessee’s bases include multiple ones with state maps, one with a state seal, a state Bicentennial cleverly incorporating the state abbreviation, and multiple varieties of one featuring a graphic of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Ohio’s license plate history includes the oxen-and-wagon combo of 1938 celebrating establishment of the Northwest Territory, the safety-conscious 1974 base, references to the aviation history of the state (the Wright Brothers were born and worked in Dayton, more Ohio natives have gone on to become astronauts than from any other state, etc.), and state maps used as both separators and as part of the state name. The current base, dubbed the “Ohio Pride” base, debuted in 2013. It includes 46 unique slogans all printed in shades of grey in various sizes.
The pelican made an appearance on Louisiana plates consistently throughout the 1940s, 50s, and early 60s, then appeared on the 1989 “USA” base and on the current base, first issued in 2006. In 1984 the state became the most recent to date to feature a “World’s Fair” slogan, and in the 21st century it’s already celebrate three different bicentennials (the latter two issued concurrently with the pelican base for a limited time).
One of my personal favorites for license plate designs is Indiana, which has issued a series of catchy graphic general-issue plates since the U.S. Bicentennial plate of 1976/77. Interestingly, it has found a new slogan for each one, whether it’s the unusual “Wander,” the patriotic “Amber Waves of Grain,” or even the far less-exciting website or “Bicentennial.” The latest issue features a covered bridge, something no other plate in U.S. history can claim.
Mississippi has had county names printed on its plates from 1941 to present. The 1977, 1998, and 2003 bases all featured the state flower (the magnolia) in the center of varying sizes. The 1982 base introduced the “sagging S” motif in the state name, in use on all plates ever since. The 2008 base showed the Biloxi lighthouse, which survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the 2013 base marked the musical heritage of the state as it depicts “Lucille,” famous Blues artist B.B. King’s guitar. The 2019 base was the first standard, non-optional issue to feature the words “In God We Trust.”
Illinois had yearly plates until 1979. Certain plates in the 1940s were made of soybean material, which led to some of them being consumed by goats. The color schemes of the plates from the 1950s through 70s were intentional, often chosen to represent a college, person, or organization; many from this period were also made of a particularly flimsy material. The U.S. Bicentennial plate was designed by a teenager in a statewide contest. “Land of Lincoln” has been a slogan since 1954, but it wasn’t until the 2001 base that the man himself made a graphic appearance.
New base plates have hit the Alabama roads every 5-7 years since the first multi-year issue of the U.S. Bicentennial base. While “Heart of Dixie” appeared plainly on the plates from 1955 until then, since they have been sometimes minimized, but they are always there, often inside or accompanied by a heart graphic.
Maine has featured graphics of a lobster and a chickadee (the state crustacean and bird, respectively) on the two most recent bases (1987, 1999); prior to that the plates were quite plain, though I love the look on the older issues shown above.
For many years Missouri had a rather unique coding system where the first letter indicated the month of expiration, even though the month was also embossed on the plate. The white and maroon base lasted from 1980 until 1998. The 2009 base featured a little state bird beneath a large state map. The 2019 state Bicentennial base has a state seal but it’s kind of compromised by the vertical sticker well, another unusual feature (which began with the 1980 base).
The 1989 base reflected the state’s official nickname change from “Land of Opportunity” to “The Natural State.” The 2006 base is a call to the Crater of Diamonds State Park, where visitors can mine for their own diamonds. In 2018, the state added security marks on the left side of the plate.
Michigan had the enchanting slogan “Water Wonderland” or “Water-Winter Wonderland” in the 1950s and 60s, then switched to “Great Lake State” in 1968. The popular U.S. Bicentennial base resembled an American flag. The 1984 white-on-blue base lasted for more than two decades with minor variations in sequencing, sticker wells, and dies. The last two bases have incorporated websites, and the current one also uses the new tourism slogan of “Pure Michigan.”
For awhile the state issued a new plate every 13 months, so what used to expire at the end of December did so at the end of January, then the end of February, then the end of March, etc. leading to the split year designs. The 1977 green-on-white base was unpopular with the public, and two years later the state added an orange map, which was then switched to a light green map with red letters, then switched back to an orange map with green letters. This base, along with the 1997 and 2004 (current) bases, could have the county name or the slogan “Sunshine State”; this came about for an unfortunate reason as tourists in Dade County specifically were targeted for crime. As the years have gone on, more and more residents statewide have opted for the slogan.
On the 1975 base, the separator went from star to state map, and it’s been used ever since. The state went graphic with the Sesquicentennial base (which celebrated settlement, not statehood). The 1990 flag base saw several iterations, including the move of the flag from left to right. The statehood Sesquicentennial was a limited run general issue. By 2009, the star and the flag were co-existing in harmony.
Iowa used (often stacked) county codes from 1922 through 1978. The 1979 base (which included two varieties, debossed on a lighter green and embossed on a darker green) employed names instead which has lasted through today. Note the changes to the 1997 farm scene base, which went from embossed to flat, then blue to black serials. Also with the black serial, zeros were given a slash to help differentiate from the letter “O,” given that it would soon switch format to ABC 123. In 2018, a new base retained a farm scene background but brightened it with more color.
The state has used “America’s Dairyland” since 1940. Graphics were introduced on the 1987 farm scene base, which started off blue and changed to red less than a year later. In 2000, it was changed to black, the state name and slogan both enlarged and changed to red, the dash made horizontal, and the double thin lines switched to one.
I don’t generally collect older plates, but this being my home state I’ve inevitably picked up a few. The 1956 base is one of my personal favorites, while the 1963 yellow-on-black base has won the hearts of many Californians to the point where a re-issue was made as a specialty version that can be seen often. The 1969 base saw a transition about 10 years later of six-character to seven-character plates. The “sun” optional became available at the end of 1982 for a very small fee; for a brief period (2F & 2G) it was the only general plate issued to new registrants. Then in 1987 the plain red, white, and blue plate arrived, followed by its cousin with “lipstick-style” state name in 1993, which remains on the roads today. For a short time the “Sesquicentennial” slogan was attached, and then in 2012 the state slapped on the pointless DMV web address. This resident is anxiously awaiting a new base plate to look at; thank goodness for the specialty plate program so I don’t have to have this monstrosity on my own car!
Minnesota’s plate history includes the “waffle”-style 1949 plate, the 1952 plate with unique dies, several versions of bases featuring debossed characters in embossed bars, and the long-running lake scene base, which has undergone a few transformations.
Oregon’s almost never had a slogan (only the 1960 base). The 1964 and 1973 bases were essentially mirror images of each other; the 1973 base (which included a transition from embossed months to stickered months) was followed by the fir tree base in 1987. The serials for this base started in the Ps and by the Rs the plate was redesigned. Since then the serial format has flipped but otherwise it’s the same one you’ll see on the roads today.
